


When the Kricketune Cry

by FlameOf



Category: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni | Higurashi When They Cry, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions, Umineko no Naku Koro ni | When the Seagulls Cry
Genre: Adventure, Friendship, Gen, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 60,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27311974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlameOf/pseuds/FlameOf
Summary: Upon waking up in a strange world of mysterious creatures, Rika Furude must go on her longest journey yet, across all of Galar, in order to find her missing friends.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. A Cry by Any Other Creature is Just as Unnerving

Rika Furude, age 12, was use to waking up in places she didn't fall asleep. This sort of thing came natural for someone so use to dying at the end of June.

What she was not use to, however, was waking up to an unfamiliar ceiling. That was the sort of thing she thought 14 year old boys with depression did after having to pilot giant robots, not young girls who have relived the same month thousands of times on end.

Outside the window, she could hear the cry of... she wanted to say cicadas, but they sounded kind of... wrong.

Rika took a look around the room, taking note of how western it was in style. It was... well, she wanted to call the design 'modern', but she always thought Keiichi's home was modern, and this took it a step beyond.

One wall had photos hung on it depicting a pair of young boys, brothers, if she were to guess. She could tell at a single glance they were quite possibly the furthest from Japanese someone could possibly get. Well, either that, or they just tan really well. Personally, though, she was leaning more towards them just having darker skin.

What stood out more, though, were the strange creatures in the pictures with them. The younger of the two boys in the photos had what looked like an overly woolly sheep (which, admittedly, looked like it would be incredible to cuddle with), and the older brother had... a red, bipedal lizard with a fire on the end of its tail.

This only served to confuse her further. Those were not normal animals.

The door to the room opened gently, and an older woman stepped it. At the very least, Rika could conclude the skin tone was a hereditary thing, rather than a tan.

“Ah, finally awake, sweetie?” the woman asked. “You've been out for quite a while. Feeling okay?”

“Y... yes, ma'am,” she responded hesitantly. “Um, where am I?”

“It was quite a shock, when Hop brought you here unconscious,” the older woman continued. “You're in Postwick, in the south of Galar. Not the south-est part, but second closest, at least.”

“Ga...lar?” Rika questioned, trying her best to mask her shock. “But, where... how...”

“Oh dear, it'll be alright,” the woman said soothingly. “I'm sure it'll be alright. What's your name?”

“R...Rika, sir,” she answered. “Rika Furude. Um, if I might ask, sir, where is Galar to Hinamizawa?”

“Hee-nah-me-sah-wah?” the woman repeated, rolling the name around as if it were a stale gumball. “Sorry, sweetie. I don't think I know anywhere like that.”

“I... see.” An unusual feeling began to wheal in Rika's heart. Some ungodly combination of every known form of terror, and even some still to be discovered and given proper words for, threatened to seize control of her body.

The woman noticed the slight tremble in the blue haired girls shoulders, and immediately wrapped her in a warm hug. “It'll be alright, sweetie,” she said. “Whatever happened to you, I'm sure it'll all work out.”

Rika was taken rather aback, less by the statement, and more by the sheer warmth of the hug. Come to think of it, when was the last time she was held like this? She couldn't exactly count Rena's 'I'm taking her home with me' moments, because those were their own thing, and accounting for her 'unique circumstances' on a temporal level... she couldn't remember.

So, really, it was no wonder she practically melted into the embrace like butter on a frying pan.

* * *

  
  


After a few good minutes, Rika had finally calmed down, and the woman, named Helena, walked back downstairs, allowing the girl some space.

“Mum!” shouted her son, Hop. “How's she doing?”

“She's resting a bit longer, but I think she's more shocked than injured,” she explained. “It's good that you and Victor got her here so quickly, Hop. Somehow, I get the feeling Route One would have been a rude awakening for her.”

“Is that so?” the pale skinned boy, Victor, said. “I'm glad. When we saw her on the way to Wedgehurst, I just couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong.”

Victor and Hop, while not related in any way, were the closest thing to brothers without counting Hop's actual brother, Leon. The two of them were polar opposites in just about every way; Hop had a darker complexion and hair, while Victor was mildly albino, with off-white hair and a complexion not unlike that of a vampire. Hop's eyes were a light brown that bordered on yellow, whereas Victor's eyes were a light pink. Their personalities and interests were just as different as well, with Hop being more sports oriented, and Victor was a bit of a fashionista. They were the sort of duo you wouldn't have thought would become friends, but that just goes to show what happens to two people living in the only two houses in Postwick.

“Too right, mate,” Hop stated. “The worst you can run by out here is a herd of Wooloo. Can't imagine what happened to her.”

“By the by, Hop, Victor, do either of you know a place called 'Hinamizawa'?”

“Can't say I have,” Hop commented.

“Me neither,” Victor added, tapping away at it Rotom-phone. “Not finding anything about it online, either. It's like it doesn't even exist.”

Hop gave it a little thought. “Say, ain't there an entire genre about things like that?”

“You mean the 'isekai' genre?” Victor asked. “Come off it, chap. This is the real world, remember? Next you'll say she's from a world where Pokemon don't exist.”

“I'm just saying, Vic, truth is stranger than fiction.”

Small, soft footsteps came from the stairs, as Rika came into the living room.

“Feeling better, sweetie?” Helena asked.

“Yes. Sorry to worry you, sir,” Rika said in her sweetest voice (and let's face it, it was the sort of voice that could make honey jealous). “My name it Rika Furude. It's nice to meet you all.” And the cherry on top: “Nippah!”

The ultimate weapon of Rika Furude; the Nippah. One single strike from it could send an unprepared fitness guru into diabetic shock if they weren't careful. Fortunately for Victor, Hop, and Hop's mother, they were mildly prepared for it.

That didn't mean they weren't slumped over the couch in shock, however.

“That was... something,” Victor muttered. “That level of cuteness his like a herd of Tauros.”

“I hear ya, mate. That was too much,” Hop added.

“Mii? What's a Tauros?” Rika asked.

“Tauros, the Wild Bull Pokemon,” Victor answered, reading off his phone. “Here in Galar, the Tauros are actually quite volatile, and don't allow trainers to ride them like in other regions.”

“Poke...mon?” Rika repeated. “Sorry, sir, but... what's a Pokemon?”

Several things fell out of hands in quick succession. First was the tea cup that Helena was holding, which clattered harmlessly back on to the saucer on the table. Second was the rubber ball Hop was holding, which bounced into the corner of the room. Lastly was Victor's phone, which, given that it was also a Rotom, caused it to simply float in place.

“You... don't know what Pokemon are?” Hop questioned in disbelief. “The hundreds of thousands of different species of creatures that roam the world?”

“You know, like...” Victor fumbled with the red-white sphere in his bag, before throwing it towards the ground lightly. In a burst of light, a creature emerged from it; a white rabbit-like thing with red on the ends of its ears and feet, that stood upright. “Like my Scorbunny here? You don't know anything about them?”

Rika looked at the small rabbit - the Scorbunny, as Victor called it. It stood a foot tall, and looked back at her with a great deal of curiosity.

Then, it spoke. “Scor!” Well, as much as an animal could, at any rate. Regardless, though, she would admit the creature was cute.

“Mii, what a cute creature!” Rika exclaimed. “Is this one of those 'Pokemon', then?”

“She really doesn't know about them,” Hop muttered. “Someone pinch me, my must be dreaming.”

“I'm starting to think there's some credit to your isekai theory now,” Victor added. “This is just too weird.”

' _Think about how I feel about it all,_ ' Rika thought, as she continued to pat the Scorbunny. The creature was very odd. It was warm to the touch – which, granted, you'd expect from a living creature, but not to the extent that it felt like she was petting the physical manifestation of a camp fire.

Victor crossed his arms, pondering for a moment. Then, he slammed one fist into his other hand. “Right, then. Idea. We take her to professor Magnolia. All in favour?”

Hop and his mother were immediately in favour. Rika, though, a bit less, given her personal experience with certain people calling themselves 'professor'.

“Right banger, that idea!” Hop shouted. “We still have to meet up with Leon over there, as well, so it's two Rookidee with one Geodude!” At that point, Hop ran to the door. “I'll dash on ahead, and tell them about it! You two catch up when you can!”

And like the wind, Hop had left the house. Helena let out a small laugh. “Oh, that boy. He never could sit still for too long.”

“Um, sir? Who is this professor?” Rika asked hesitantly.

“Professor Magnolia? She's one of the leading researchers in the field of Pokemon,” Victor answered. “She's also the main researcher on the Dynamax phenomena, which is something exclusive to the Galar region.”

“Her granddaughter is also the closest thing to a neighbour we have here,” Helena added. “I'm sure you'll get along well with them.”

Before going on their way, Helena gave Rika a small box. In that box were six small balls, like the one Victor kept his Scorbunny in, and... she wanted to call the violet rectangle with the glass front a phone, considering Victor had one in red, but really, she didn't know too much about the device. It felt almost... alive.

Then, recalling that she had just seen Victor's one float in mid air, she felt like she shouldn't have been surprised when the one currently in her hands suddenly began floating an making a lot of odd noises.

Given her somewhat fraught emotional state, however, she was not faulted for letting out a 'Mii' of shock, before hiding behind Victor.

“Never properly seen a Rotom Phone before?” Victor asked. “Don't worry, they don't bite.”

“But, how are they a phone, sir?” Rika asked. “It... it doesn't have wires.”

Victor looked at the girl in confusion. “You come from somewhere that still uses landlines, huh?” He gave her a friendly smile. “Then you're in for a surprise when you learn what these guys can do.”

* * *

  
  


By the time the two of them reached Wedgehurst, Rika had fully come to understand the items she now had.

First, the 'Rotom Phone' was, as the name implied, a phone. Rika wasn't _un_ familiar with the concept of cell phones, but she always imagined them being more brick sized (the first cell phone to go to retail was the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X in 1983 for America. The closest Japan had until roughly '85 was basically a phone in a car, and wouldn't fully take off until '91), and only capable of making calls. Not only could this phone make calls with anyone anywhere in the world, it could also: send electronic mail to those same people, be a camera, be a recorder, be a TV, have an entire dictionary _and_ encyclopedia, play games, and many, many more things.

As if the presence of the creatures known as Pokemon wasn't overwhelming enough, now Rika had just been _given_ a device that basically put the whole of humanities collective knowledge in her pocket. And the thing was a God damn hand-me-down from Hop's brother.

Also it had a Pokemon living inside it. Just thought that was worth mentioning.

Next, she learnt about the six Pokeballs she had been given. Basically, these balls were used to make wild Pokemon your own. Kind of like winning goldfish at a festival, only it's in the wild.

Then they reached Route 2, and Rika could have sworn she heard something following her.

Something in the grass was rustling, yet every time she looked back, it stopped.

That certainly brought back bad memories, that did. Times when the paranoia of other would cause them to hear the supposed footsteps of Oyashiro-sama.

“Mii, I think something's following us,” Rika said.

“Wouldn't be surprised,” Victor answered. “Many Pokemon are as interested in us as we are in them. While a lot of wild Pokemon are fond of a good scrap, many actually just want to play.”

Rika hummed, and crouched down to see if she could see just what kind of Pokemon was following her.

Then something yellow and a foot tall jumped out of the grass, latching on to her chest.

It was really, quite odd looking, from her perspective. A full yellow body, a large, oval shaped head, red cheeks, and kind of triangular ears.

Odd looking, sure, but objectively? Cute as heck.

“A Pichu?” Victor noted. “You don't see those in the wild that often.”

“You don't?”

“Pichu are considered 'baby' Pokemon,” Victor explained. “Usually, they live in packs with their evolved form, the Pikachu, until they've evolved themselves. Only then do they go out into the wild. If I were a betting man, I say this one was released by a trainer who's been Shiny hunting.”

“Shiny hunting, sir?”

“It's selective breeding at its abhorrent finest.” Victor's tone took a darker undertone. “Just breeding and breeding, until you not only have a Pokemon with the best stats, but also a different colour, and then just... casting aside the ones that don't meet those criteria? It sickens me to my core, it does.”

Rika sympathised. It really did sound bad when it was put like that, and she imagined the fact that he had his own genetic defect had a part to play in how strongly he felt.

She turned her gaze to the Pichu that was currently in her arms. It had a slight tremble to its breathing, like it was scared or sad. It didn't take much to convince her that Victor was right on the money with his train of thought.

“Then, can I take care of this little one?”

If Victor was surprised by the question, he didn't show it. “Well, it'd certainly help the both of you.”

Rika turned her attention back to the small mouse. “How about it?” she asked. The Pichu looked up at her through teary blue eyes. Blue eyes that struck her as _incredibly_ familiar. “Do you want to come with me?”

The Pichu looked surprised, before it rubbed the tears away and smiled.

Normally, Rika was on the giving end of the 'diabetes-inducing smile', so receiving one from the small creature came as quite the shock to her system.

“Is this how Rena feels most of the time?” Rika asked herself. “Is this that feeling of wanting to take it home with me?”

“You alright, Rika?”

“Yeah, just... just getting new perspective on something,” she answered. “So, how does this work?”

* * *

  
  


After walking Rika through the process of catching Pokemon (literally just throw balls until they stay in them), the young girl was now the proud owner of the level one Pichu.

While carrying the small Pokemon around in its ball was certainly easy, Rika had instead chosen to let it walk around outside the ball, if only because she wanted to interact with it more.

Before long (and after a brief tutorial on battling, allowing Rika to get a good five levels to her new friend), they finally reached the home of professor Magnolia.

“Yo! You two took your time!” Hop called out.

“So, this is that new friend you mentioned, is it?” a tall man with similarly blue hair asked. Rika recognised him from the photos she saw, but what she didn't recognise, though, was the _massive freaking dragon_ that was behind him. Rika did her best to mask her surprise. “I'm Leon, Hop's older brother and Galar's undefeated champion. Nice to meet ya!”

' _Well, I can see being friendly is hereditary for them,'_ Rika thought. “It's nice to meet you too, sir. I'm Rika Furude,” she said plesantly, topping it off with a 'Nippah'.

What made it hit harder, though, was the fact that Pichu mimicked her actions, resulting in what could only be described as 'a double-espresso with six tubes of sugar, cream, and honey-chocolate syrup' levels of adorable.

… Although, that combination didn't sound too good in general. Coffee based metaphors are hard for non-coffee drinkers.

Hop quietly slid up beside Victor, whom looked rather haggard. “Is _that_ why you seem so tired?” he asked, pointing towards Rika.

“She's become too powerful already,” Victor muttered. “As if she wasn't already cute enough, now she has Satochu on her side.”

“Satochu?”

“The Pichu. She called it that because it reminded her of a dear friend.”

The sound of a cane tapping on the ground cut off all further conversation.

“Well, if there's ever a need to name a Pokemon something, the best option is something close to your heart,” the old lady said as she approached Rika. “So, you're young Rika, then? It's lovely to meet you.”

“Yes. Likewise, ma'am,” Rika responded politely. “And you are professor Magnolia, then?”

“Indeed I am,” the professor answered. “Hop spoke quite at lengths about you, dear. Said you were unfamiliar with Pokemon.”

“Yes, ma'am. He and Victor-san said you could teach me more?”

“Well, it's been quite a while since I gave a lesson on the basics,” Magnolia laughed. “I'll do the best I can. Leon, can I trust you to pick up anything I miss?”

“You got it, prof,” the champion stated. “If there's any greater honour than being the undefeated champion, it's getting to play assistant to our professor!”

* * *

  
  


The lesson, Rika found, was incredibly enlightening.

While she had gone over some of the basics with Victor on the way there, the rest of the things Magnolia and Leon covered really served to put her situation into perspective.

She was in another world, pure and simple. The first major clue about that was the general presence of Pokemon, really, but Rika was willing to overlook that as her 'not knowing the outside world that well'. She would have, if it was only, like, a maximum of roughly 100 different species.

Nearly 900 different species, though? Even a place as cut off from the world as Hinamizawa would have at least a few species here and there.

Night fell before long, and Rika found herself looking out the window to this strange new world.

“Such... an odd place,” she muttered, voice dropping a few octaves. “So many unusual creatures, and yet it's all so normal to them.”

Three futons had been lain out on the ground, where Hop, Victor, and Leon slept. Rika, they had decided, got to sleep on the couch. It was a very nice couch. If Rika hadn't known better, then she might have thought it was an actual bed.

“It seems a nice world to live in, but... I can't help but worry about Satoko and the others. Are they here, in this world?” she asked, voice trailing off into the ether. “They've got to be. If they're not, then... then what am I to do, Hanyu?” When she was met with nothing but silence and light snoring, Rika took a panicked look around the room. “Hanyu? Are you...” she hesitated. “Please, just... say your here.”

Rika grit her teeth, suppressing a sob as she realised just how alone she now was.

* * *

  
  


When morning came, Rika could honestly count how many hours she slept on one hand.

It was a big fat zero. Maybe a few minutes here or there, but hours were a no go.

Sitting up, Rika let out a stifled yawn.

“Finally awake, dear?” professor Magnolia asked, sitting in an armchair at one end of the coffee table.

“G'morning,” Rika said quietly. “Where'd the others go?”

“They went on ahead to Wedgehurst,” the professor explained. “Leon officially endorsed those boys for the Gym Challenge, and they just couldn't sit still. Left first chance they got. Rather rude to just leave a lady, if you ask me.”

“It's quite alright, sir,” Rika said, forcing a smile. “Boys will be like that at times, all eager to play their sports.” She recalled what Leon had said about the 'Pokemon League' last night, as well as the Gym Challenge. It was, simply put, a gauntlet of battles against professional Pokemon trainers, for the glory of being considered the regions best.

Rika personally didn't see the appeal of it. It sounded like glorified cock fighting on paper, but that might just be because she hadn't properly seen any battles. She'd definitely consider it if it was for a good cause, sure, but for sport, it was a fine line.

“You're quite well informed about it,” Magnolia laughed. “If I didn't know any better, I'd say you knew a lot more than you let on.” Rika quietly looked away, hoping not to give away too much. “So, what are your plans from now on?” Magnolia asked. “I can't imagine you'll want to sit around here forever.”

She had the right of it, too. Rika had no plans to sit quietly in one corner of the world. Not anymore. “I... I want to find my friends,” she said hesitantly. “There's five of them, and I... I want to know they're alright, if they're in Galar.”

Magnolia gave a small, fond chuckle. “Well, I suppose there's only one thing for an old lady like myself to do for you, then.”

* * *

  
  


Trains. This was honestly Rika's first time experiencing one, and quite frankly? She was very impressed. Previously, she had only heard about what trains were like from Keiichi, and he seemed rather indifferent to them.

It really hit home just how much of a country bumpkin Rika actually was. She tried not to think too much on that, because that led to her imagining herself in overalls and a straw hat. Maybe she could make such a look seem sexy in a decade, but for now, she shelved the thought indefinitely.

Magnolia's 'idea' for helping Rika was to give her an old, sturdy bag filled to the brim with what she considered necessities. Food, camping equipment, spare cloths, huge wads o' cash (called pokedollars, because the people of this world _might_ be a bit unoriginal), and some medication just in case she caught a cold.

On top of that, Magnolia installed an application on her Rotom Phone called a 'Pokedex', which was pretty much an encyclopedia on every Pokemon in the region. What a useful tool.

Satochu poked his head out of the bag, letting out a rather chipper 'chu' as he did. Rika smiled in return. Maybe she wasn't _completely_ alone on this journey of hers.

The train came to a stop at what was known as the 'Wild Area', a vast, open field where trainers and Pokemon roamed freely. From there, her next stop would be Motostoke, an actual city. That would be where her search began.

Stepping off the train, Rika took a deep breath. “Strange. Even the air differs from place to place,” she mused. “I wonder, was this how Keiichi felt when he first came to Hinamizawa?”

She made an effort to wipe the forlorned look from her face. Now wasn't the time to feel down. Now was a time of action.

Rika Furude, with Satochu the Pichu perched on her shoulder, was going to find her friends, one way or another.

And Gods have mercy on whatever poor sods get in her way.


	2. The Journey Unfolds; Warm Hands and Cold Cheeks

It had taken a day and a half for Rika to reach the city of Motostoke. The city, as Rika found it, was not all it cracked up to be.

When she thought of 'cities', Rika imagined tall high-rises, shiny white buildings, and bright skies. Instead, she got drab, brown, and a whole lot of smog. Even Satochu wasn't fond of it.

“I really hope the others aren't here,” Rika muttered. “I don't want to spend any more time here than I have to.”

“Aw, it's not that bad,” a woman with bright orange hair said. “Most of it's steam, anyway.”

Rika cast a glare at the woman. She was dressed quite fashionably, she would admit, but Rika wasn't exactly at the point in her life to care about fashion too much. “Well, it's still a bit much for someone fresh from the countryside.”

“No way, you too?” the woman asked. “How far are we talking? Postwick, or further?”

“Too far, I'd say.”

“Must've been a long journey for you, then.” The woman held out a hand. “I'm Sonia. You here to watch the Gym Challenge, too?”

“Rika,” she responded, shaking the hand. “And no, I've got other things on my plate.”

“For real? You're not even going to stay for the opening ceremony?” Sonia exclaimed, causing several passerby's to look at Rika in bewilderment. “Heck, it's on in an hour, too! How can you _not_ be there for it?”

“If it's starting in an hour, then why are you here, chastising me about it?” Rika snarked. Satochu nodded from his perch on her shoulder in agreement.

“Good point,” Sonia conceded. “Let's go.”

Then she proceeded to drag Rika, despite her protests, all the way to the stadium for the ceremony.

Rika thought that it must have been a Monday. The start of a week was nearly always too exhausting for its own good.

* * *

  
  


… And after all that, Rika still didn't find a reason to care for the Gym Challenge. Sure, Hop and Victor were taking part in it, and that alone would be cause to keep an eye on it, but all that 'opening ceremony' did was introduce a lot of faces she knew nothing about.

First were the other gym challengers, and outside of Victor and Hop, only three stood out to her.

First was a black haired girl with a neutral expression. From the looks of it, she had some... very loud fans called Team Yell. They struck Rika as some ungodly mix between the Yamainu and Otaku culture. And yet, she felt like these guys and girls might be more endearing than either of the latter two.

Second was a white haired boy said to be endorsed by the chairman himself. It took her a moment to find out just _why_ this 'chairman' person was so important (something about owning the biggest power company in the region), yet that didn't change the fact that Rika's first impression of the boy was 'this kid's going to be trouble, no doubt'.

Finally, though, was a hooded person among the challengers. They stood out amongst the other challengers for the simple fact that no one else was wearing a cloak like that. In fact, the closest thing to that cloak was the champion's cape, and he at least had a reason for it. This person, the only reason no one tried to remove it was because there wasn't actually a rule saying they couldn't wear it.

Still, if Rika was to keep an eye on any one of the challengers, she might as well pick the mysterious one with no stated name.

“Man, that was something, wasn't it?” Sonia stated as the two walked out of the stadium. “All those promising trainers, and Hop and Victor really stood out among them. Weren't you glad to see all that?”

Rika usually wasn't one to display her displeasure. Her current situation, however, was not under the category of 'usual'. “All that was was introducing people I have no reason to remember,” Rika said bitterly. “Not only that, but I've now wasted an extra half a day I could have used for something more productive.”

“You're just a barrel of sunshine, aren't you? Can't enjoy a good ceremony?”

“Not when I've got too much else to worry about.” Rika pulled the Rotom Phone out, and checked the map. “Now, my first direction should be... west. Go through Route Three, then the... Galar mines? You seriously let people just go through those things from town to town? Anyway, that'll get me up to Tu... Turffield? Is that how it's said? Then it's east to Hulbury. Hopefully, I can make good headway and find at least some of them, otherwise...”

“You know, for someone claiming to not be interested in the Gym Challenge, you're pretty keen to get to where the battles are.” Sonia pointed out. “Are you just not being honest with yourself?”

“Chu!” Satochu cried, bapping Sonia on the head with his tail. “Chu chu! Pichu pi!” Roughly, this translated to 'How dare you! Master has to find her friends! She doesn't have time to waste watching crummy battles!'. Of course, given that Satochu was a Pokemon, this was lost on the professor's granddaughter.

“Feisty little guy, ain't ya?” Sonia asked, attempting to pat the Pichu. Satochu naturally let off an electrical discharge, leaving Sonia looking comically charred.

“Well, ain't you two peas of a pod!” the sound of Hop's voice shouted.

“Finally done in the stadium, then?” Sonia asked as Hop and Victor approached. Strange, Rika found, that she was quite unphased by being shocked.

“You know it!” Hop exclaimed. “Also, hey Rika! Came to cheer us on?”

“Can't talk, sir. Planning route out.”

The two boys looked mildly surprised when Rika shrugged them off. “Don't mind her, she's just a bit shirty after I dragged her to the opening ceremony.” Sonia explained.

“It was one of the most boring experiences in my life,” Rika said plainly, “and that's coming from a country-based shrine maiden who's performed for the Watanagashi Festival.”

“Watanagashi?” Victor asked. Now that she looked at him, did he do something with his hair? And his overall wardrobe seems to have changed greatly too. Well, no matter.

“Festival from my home town, don't worry about it,” Rika dismissed. She was noticing that she was rather short-tempered today. Shaking the feeling off, she put the phone away. “Time to move on!”

And with that, Rika marched off to the west, towards Route Three.

Victor blinked once. “What on earth just happened?” he asked.

“You got me, mate,” Hop added. “But, we're heading in the same direction, so why don't we keep her company?”

“Good thinking there, Hop,” Sonia added. “Something tells me that girl shouldn't be left alone for too long.”

* * *

  
  


When Rika reached the entrance to the mine, she let out a sigh. “You know, I really didn't need the company,” she said plainly.

“Aw, c'mon Rika! Adventure begs for company!” Hop exclaimed.

“You do realise I'm not in this to watch your battles, right?” she asked. “I've seen a few battles online, and frankly I'm not too impressed by them.”

“Seriously? You sure you've been watching the right ones?” Sonia asked. “Maybe you just need to experience Dynamaxing in person.”

Rika was fairly certain she wasn't going to like Sonia's company. The woman was too gun-ho to include her in the regions shared hobby. She didn't exactly blame her for it, but it got grating rather fast.

Rika knew she was an outsider. Knew she was the exception to the rule of this world. And quite frankly, she was perfectly happy staying that way.

Sure, Hop and Victor were nice enough guys, and Rika was fairly certain she'd like Sonia, given the chance. However, the girl had more things on her mind to worry about than making new friends, or looking into new hobbies.

She needed to find her friends. Anything more was going to have to wait.

She took her first step into the mine, and was immediately swarmed by a flock of Woobat.

Now, this wouldn't be too much of a problem, if it wasn't for the fact that they also decided to pick her up and carry her further into the mine.

Today was just not Rika's day.

* * *

  
  


When Rika could finally see again, she noticed first that the flock of Woobat that had previously abducted her was strewn across the ground, unconscious. Signs of electrical damage made it quite evident that Satochu had gone on a bit of a rampage against the flock.

Rika sat upright as Satochu hopped towards her. She felt mildly sore, and probably looked a little dishevelled, but really, all she could do was sigh at this point.

“Today's just not my day, huh?” she asked, patting Satochu on his head. She checked the time on her phone quickly. “7:30PM... It's already getting late. Today was...” She wanted to say 'catastrophic', but in her experience, that word was saved for when the Yamainu massacred Hinamizawa and covered it up with a story of volcanic gasses. “Today was just a bad day, I guess,” she decided. “It'll... it'll work out eventually. It's got to.” She looked at Satochu with a pleading look in her eyes. “Right?”

“Chu!” Satochu cried. “Pichu pi! Chu chu, pichu!”

Rika was fairly certain that was his attempt to cheer her up. That was just one of the many things not sharing a language has; you kinda just have to go on their tone to tell what they're wanting to convey.

At the very least, Rika felt reassured by it.

Rika jumped back on her feet. “You're right! I can't let this keep me down!” she shouted. “I'll find my friends, and earn our happy end!”

“Pichu!” Satochu added.

Then something went 'thump' not far behind them. Rika turned around, to see a veritable herd of what she believed were very angry Timburr.

Rika's expression became one of terror in an instant. “Mii?” she whispered meekly.

Then the horde charged.

* * *

  
  


By the northern exit of the mine, gym challenger Bede was healing up his team after a rough battle with Victor.

“Damn that guy,” he cursed quietly. “Who does he think he is? Just because he was endorsed by the champ...”

Suffice to say, he wasn't exactly happy with his loss.

His Pokemon, a Hatenna, chirped as he sprayed the potion on her. “There. Feeling better?” he said kindly to his partner. “We'd best get a move on soon. We've already gotten the first badge, and I don't think we'll be finding any more Wishing Stars here.”

The sound of slow footsteps echoed down the mine shaft. “Or, I guess another potential battle?” he said.

From the shadows stepped a short, blue haired girl who looked like she had seen all the worlds evils face to face, and really couldn't have given less of a damn if she tried. Her appearance was greatly dishevelled, and her aura, and that of her Pichu, were one of sheer, unadulterated, murder.

Under normal circumstances, Bede would have challenged her to a battle. This, however, he knew was not normal, and that small, rational part of his brain told him that if he so much as talked to this girl right now, she'd probably rip his throat out, remove his brain stem, and then use his jugular as string to hang it like a necklace.

So, for his own safety, he stepped aside, and let the girl pass.

While the girl didn't stop moving, the Pichu paused for a moment, looked at him, bowed its head politely, and ran to catch up to its trainer.

“Must be having a bad day, that girl,” he muttered. “Probably best to just leave her be.”

* * *

  
  


Once Rika finally exited the mine and breathed in the crisp night air, she felt a whole lot of tension fade from her body, as she collapsed to the grassy ground.

“Tired...” she muttered. “So... damn tired. Why did... every Timburr and Drilbur... have it out for us?”

“Pi...” Satochu cried. “Pichu pi... Cha...”

Rika opened her eyes, and looked at the night sky. “So early in our journey, and already I feel like dying. What is even going on anymore?”

A sound not unlike cicadas echoed through the night. If she recalled right, those were from a Pokemon called Kricketune, a species foreign to Galar too the point of being considered an invasive species to this region. In fact, owning a Kricketune in Galar was considered illegal.

Yet, the Kricketune sang their tune, as if in defiance of their supposed fate.

“Why...” she asked. “Why do I feel so... defeated? I've been beaten down before, but this... this is something else entirely.”

Something went 'fwap' against the side of her head. Something soft and distinctly fluffly, almost like the bushy tail of a dog. Rika tilted her head, to see a brown creature that looked like a mix between a fox and a rabbit, with the mane of a lion, looking back at her with bright eyes.

“You're... an Eevee, right?” she asked. The creature gave an affirmative 'Vee' in response. “Well, at least you're not trying to attack us.”

She held out her hand to the Eevee, which sniffed her tentatively, before nuzzling up against the hand.

Rika felt something inside herself melt, as she gave her first genuine smile of the day. Even if some things go wrong, a day is not completely ruined until you allow it to be.

“That's right. He did say something like that, didn't he?” Rika muttered. “If you just submit yourself to fate, then that's the end of it. Keiichi really knew how to motivate people, didn't he?” Rika quite jumped back to her feet, much to the surprise of the two Pokemon. “I can't give up now. I refuse to give up now! They wouldn't have given up this early in the game, so neither shall I! Even if the world is out to get me, I will not break!”

Fate, ever the tempted mistress, decided to answer Rika's declaration by causing roughly sixty Digletts to sprout up to the surface from under her feet.

Sixty Digletts that were not particularly happy to be under a human, might we add.

Satochu and the Eevee both jumped into Rika's arms, who let out an irritated sigh.

“This is just going to suck, isn't it?”

* * *

  
  


On Route Five was one of two nurseries in Galar. This particular nursery, run by an old lady, was the current residence and employ of a young girl in white with orange hair.

The girl was very confused at first, being in a land not her own, surrounded by strange creatures. She quickly got over that, however, when she hatched her first egg.

The Pokemon in side was a Toxel, and she had immediately wanted to take it home. Given that she didn't know the way home, though, she decided instead to settle here for a while.

That was the basic synopsis of the past few days for sixteen year old Rena Ryuuguu. A story of confusion and cute things.

On this night, she found herself walking around with her partner Toxel. It had become a sort of ritual, really. A way to clear her head and not dwell on being lost in a foreign land.

When she came to the bridge that led to Tuffield, she paused as she heard something climb out of the water.

The moon was covered by the clouds, so she couldn't quite get a clear look of this person. She could tell, however, that they were a young girl with long hair, and were sopping wet.

The girl looked up towards the sky, a Pichu and Eevee in her arms, and let out a sigh. “First the Woobats, then the Timburr and Drilbur, and now Digletts. What do they have against me?”

Rena recognised that voice. She knew it like the back of her hand.

The clouds parted, allowing the moonlight to envelop them in its glow.

Blue hair, purple eyes, a thin figure and a green dress that looked more tattered than usual. A nostalgic feeling welled in Rena's chest. It may have only been a few days since she last saw one of her friends, but at this point, in this place, it may as well have been a lifetime.

“Rika-chan?” Rena called out.

* * *

  
  


Rika Furude froze in place at that moment. Today had been a long day of been thrown across land, air, and as of recently, water, so if this wasn't her mind finally snapping and going Level Five, her ears might have just picked up the first good sign in a long while.

She turned to face the speaker, and sure enough, there stood a familiar face.

“Rena... san?” Rika questioned. “Is that really you? I'm... not losing my mind already, am I?”

Rena stepped forward. “It's me, Rika-chan,” she said softly. “I'm here, just as you are.”

Rena placed her hand on Rika's cheeks, as Satochu and the Eevee hopped out of her arms. A warm hand on a cold cheek, that instantly broke through the hardened barrier Rika had been putting up over the day.

“M... mii,” Rika barely managed to croak out. Tears that had begun to form moments ago had broken free, and Rika rushes to embrace her friend.

After a long, borderline insane day on the road, at least finally, at the end of it, something went undeniably right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, good old value dissonance. One of the most effective tools for creating conflict.  
> And let's face it, for people from a world without even the concept of Pokemon (thank you, 1983), the Gym Challenge would most certainly come across as 'glorified cock fighting'.  
> So, with her journey finally kicked off, and one hurdle overcome, how will Rika overcome the hurdles that may or may not present themselves in the near future?  
> Find out, next time!


	3. Reunited From Dawn

To say that Victor was feeling kind of worried would be a little bit of an understatement.

It wasn't about the Gym Challenge, as he blitzed through Milo's team with relative ease (the perks of having a fire type Pokemon). No, what worried him on this morning was the disappearance of Rika Furude.

More than that, perhaps, was the fact that Hop and Sonia seemed almost unconcerned about it.

The two of them weren't 'unsympathetic' by any margin, but their lackadaisical attitude to her predicament was rather concerning. He knew that they did care, he was just worried they thought her situation wasn't all that bad.

She got abducted by Woobats the moment she entered the mines, for crying out loud! Woobat weren't generally _that_ territorial. In fact, how did they even coordinate that so well? Woobats were as blind as... well, a bat. They were a species that got around on echolocation and scent, yet a horde of at least thirty of them had just cooperated to abduct a little girl.

Well, Victor did read a paper one time, written by the great professor Oak, about how Pokemon were far more sensitive to unnatural phenomena than humans were. Going by that, it put the young boy in mind of what Hop said days ago.

'Truth was stranger that fiction'. Hop had said that in regards to the possibility of Rika being the closest thing to an isekai protagonist, and Victor had brushed it off as impossible. That soft of thing just didn't happen in reality.

Yet, something at the back of his mind tickled away at how sure he was. He wasn't sure what it was, but there was something in the idea that sounded familiar. Like, something like it had happened before. Something that happened in Alola little more than a year ago, he thought.

He had tried looking it up, but given that he didn't know even 50% of what he was looking for, all he found were silly conspiracy theorists and their silly theories.

Victor entered Route Five with clouded thoughts. He had already strip-searched the mine and Route Four, and come up with nothing, aside from the fact that a good deal of the path on Route Four that lead up to the riverside looked like it was recently tilled. Signs of Diglett, according to the Pokedex.

He absentmindedly noted a slightly damp trail leading towards the nursery. A potential clue, but given the storm of thoughts in his head giving him more of a migraine than the sun, it was one he unfortunately overlooked.

As he passed the nursery, he absentmindedly waved to the orange haired girl sweeping by the doorway, whom seemed to have a newly hatched Toxel perched on her shoulder.

Were he just a little more observant, he might have noted some similar features between this girl and Rika. However, as one with a perchance to overthink, this marked the point where Victor and Rena Ryuuguu passed each other without missing a beat.

* * *

  
  


Rika could barely recall the last time she had a proper shower. It had been just about a week since she first appeared in Galar, and the most she had been able to do in terms of washing up in that time was very basic. Having a full on, proper shower was like a blessing.

More than that, though? Freshly washed and mended clothing. It was one of those small things you wouldn't take into account until you've sweated a bit in them. She may have still had the spares Magnolia gave her, but they felt... wrong, in a way. Probably something to do with the materials that made up the clothing. Something that feels like cotton, but is just different enough to notice.

Regardless, she, Satochu, and the Eevee sat on the couch and breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, it was so warm today, she felt like she might just doze off.

The door opened, and Rena entered. “Obaasan, I've finished the sweeping outside!” she called out.

“Thank you, dearie,” the old lady by the counter replied. “You know, it just won't be the same without you here. It may have only been a week, but we've had more customers down this way thanks to you. We've actually been able to compete with those folks down in the Wild Area now.”

“Oh, it's nothing, really,” Rena said. “I should be the one thanking you, right? Right? If I'd gone wandering day one, I might have missed running into Rika-chan.”

Rena turned to face Rika, whom had actually dozed off, with Satochu curled up on her lap, and the Eevee curled up in a ball, resting against her leg.

“Sho...” Rena stuttered. “Sho Cyute! I wanna take 'em home!”

The old lady let out a small laugh. Slowly, Rika began to wake up. Slowly, she rubbed the drowsiness from her eyes. “Good morning, Rena-san,” she said happily. “Nippah!”

In half a second, Rena was slumped against a wall, looking as if she'd been shot. “Obaasan... This is a weight you'll have to carry, too,” she wheezed out dramatically, before falling to the floor.

The old lady looked between Rena and Rika. “Does she... do that often?”

“She's not often this dramatic, sir,” Rika answered.

* * *

  
  


The two from Hinamizawa stepped out into the sunlight of the new day. Sure, some of Rika's joints were still a little sore from the night before, but honestly? At this point she didn't care. She was currently in a perpetual endorphin high (questionable if she even knew what endorphins were) after having found at least one of her friends.

“Okay, we've got everything we need,” Rena stated, shifting the weight of her backpack. “Who's ready to save the rest of the Hinamizawa Game Club?”

“Oh!” Rika cheered.

“Tox!” Toxel followed up.

“Chu!” added Satochu.

“Vee!” cried the Eevee.

“That's right, we haven't decided about this little one, have we?” Rika realised, lowering herself down to the Eevee. Rika held out a pokeball to it. “How about it? Do you want to join us officially?”

Eevee tapped the button on the ball without a moments hesitation. The ball shook thrice as Eevee entered, and finally gave that oh-so iconic 'ding'.

Naturally, given the sort of trainer (if you could call her that) Rika was, she immediately let Eevee out of the ball, and he quickly found his home of Rena's right shoulder. “Now, what should we call you, sir?” Rika wondered. Then, an idea struck. “Well, if we've already got 'Satochu', how about... Keivee?”

The newly christened Keivee gave a cry of acceptance, and Rena immediately went back into 'taking 'em home with me' mode.

* * *

  
  


The majority of Route Five was made up of a single large bridge that connected Tuffield to Hulbury, the second stop in the Gym Challenge.

Presently, on the west end of the bridge, Rika and Rena were making their way east. On the east end, however, was a completely different matter.

“You want us to double back to the mines?” Hop asked in disbelief. “You for real? What brought this on?”

“Come off it, mate. You know what it's about,” Victor responded. “I'm worried about Rika.”

“Vic, mate, you're worrying too much,” Hop assured. “She's got her Pichu with her, after all. You've seen the stats on that guy.”

Victor wouldn't deny that fact. As he had previously mused, that Pichu was the result of selective breeding (with the 'selective' part being shiny), and had some pretty outstanding Individual Values (Ivs) in all stats. On top of that, the Pichu had also contracted the Pokemon Virus (Pokerus), which was like if catching a cold gave you a steroid boost.

“Even so,” Victor began, “that doesn't change the fact that she doesn't know her way around Galar, or the fact that...”

“Come on, Vic. You're sounding like a mum friend. We've still got a schedule to keep with the Gym Challenge, remember? If we take too long, then we won't get our badges in time for the championship.”

“And that means we should leave a little girl lost?!” Victor shouted, his voice echoing across the distance.

“She's around our age, mate! It's not that big a deal!”

The two boys stared each other down. Victor's gaze was filled with an unfamiliar anger, while Hop's was a mix of bewilderment and shock.

“I think there's only one way to settle this, Hop,” Victor said, pulling out a pokeball. “Right here, right now. Three Pokemon each. I win, we go back, lost days be damned.”

“Alright, then,” Hop said hesitantly. “Then if I win, we trust that Rika'll be fine, and press on. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Both trainers took seven steps back, and threw their balls into the air.

“Go get 'em, Wooloo!” Hop shouted, as the Sheep Pokemon came into existence.

“Take the field, Roselia!” Victor yelled, the Thorn Pokemon appearing before him.

Wooloo charged forward on his trainers orders to Tackle the smaller enemy. Roselia, however, was a considerably more nimble being, darting around the oncoming ball of wool, and firing off a few Poison Sting attacks.

Slowing his opponent down with both that attack and some Toxic Spikes strewn on the ground, Roselia launched a Magical Leaf barrage, dealing significant damage, and knocking Wooloo out.

“Return, mate!” Hop called, as Wooloo returned to the pokeball in a beam of light. “You've really stepped up your game here, Vic.”

“Come on back, Roselia,” Victor said. “That's just what happens when you believe in a cause. Try to take note, Hoppy-kins.”

Hop grinned rather eagerly. “Underhanded, using that old nickname.” He then produced his next ball. “You're up, Corvisquire!”

“The floor's yours, Duskull!” Victor shouted.

The Raven Pokemon, Corvisquire opened with a series of Hone Claws, all while dodging Duskull's Shadow Sneak attack.

“Alright, you're in the clear, mate!” Hop called. “Hit 'em with a Power Trip!”

Power Trip was a move that increased in power the more a Pokemon's stats were increased. Used on top of Hone Claw, which increases attack specifically, it becomes quite the dangerous move, especially with type advantage.

The attack hit true, and Duskull was sent to the ground.

...Yet Duskull held on, all the same.

Victor gave a surprisingly vicious grin. “Checkmate,” he muttered. “Duskull, hit back with Payback!”

Payback was a move that doubles in power if the Pokemon attacks after its opponent. This particular Duskull, whom personally considered himself remarkably lucky, struck back with as much power as he could muster.

The result was a critical hit, knocking Corvisquire out.

“Real lucky of you, Vic!” Hop shouted. “Going for such a risky crit.”

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” Victor replied, calling Duskull back.

During the battle neither boy noticed the presence of Rika and Rena, watching it all unfold.

“Then, let's head into the final bout!” Hop yelled. “Get out there, Thwackey!”

“You're on set, Raboot!”

Thwackey and Raboot. The evolved versions of their starters, Grookey and Scorbunny.

It's pretty obvious how this battle goes. Raboot is considerably faster, and a Flame Charge takes Thwackey down in a single hit.

“Match over,” Victor stated.

“Seems so,” Hop responded, returning his Pokemon back to their ball. “Guess we're doing it your way, then.”

“The right way, you mean,” Victor replied, calling back Raboot.

A series of claps echoed, catching the two off guard. “That was a very nice battle,” Rena stated happily. “Don't you think so, Rika-chan? Right?”

“Yes. It was quite the spectacle, sir,” Rika added. “I can see why people enjoy it so much, even if I'm personally still not a fan.”

Victor and Hop both looked mildly surprised. “Rika?!” they shouted.

“Yes, sirs?”

Victor stammered over his words for a while. “Now I actually do feel like an overbearing mum,” he muttered. “Listen, Hop, I...”

“It's fine, it's fine!” Hop said happily. “You had a point anyway. I was a little too dismissive about it. Sorry about that!” He gave a quick wave. “Well, I'm gonna go on ahead to Hulbury and get my team healed up! See ya in a bit!”

“Wait!” Victor called, yet Hop was already too far away to hear him. “Geez, he could have at least waited to hear my apology.”

“Did you two have a fight? Did you?” Rena asked.

“Something like that,” Victor admitted. “Hop's a good guy, just... sometimes I think he's about as dense as a Cosmoem.”

“Cosmoem, sir?”

“A legendary Pokemon,” Victor answered. “Said to be one of the heaviest known to exist. But enough about that; Rika, are you alright?”

“Yes. I'm a-okay!” Rika said happily. “Yesterday might not have been a good day, but things worked out in the end. Nippah!”

“I can see that,” Victor stated, turning his attention to Rena. “You're one of Rika's friends, right?”

“I am!” Rena answered eagerly. “I'm Rena Ryuuguu. Who are you, I wonder? I wonder?”

If Victor was confused by Rena repeating the question part of her statement (he was), he didn't show it. “I'm Victor. It's nice to meet you,” he replied. “And I wouldn't say we did a bang up job looking after your friend.”

“I'd say you did your best,” Rika stated kindly. “Would you like to travel with us to the next city?”

“I'll catch up in a bit. Duskull's in a pretty rough spot from that battle, and I'd like to patch him up before I get moving.”

As the two girls went on, bidding Victor farewell, he sat down on the bridge and began nursing his Duskull back to health. During that time...

He absentmindedly began rubbing the side of his neck.

* * *

  
  


A salty air washed over the two as they entered the new city. It was a largely new experience for both Rika and Rena.

Rika sniffed the air. “What is that?” she wondered. “It's... I don't know what that is.”

“It's somewhat salty,” Rena mused. “I think it might be the ocean.”

“Ocean?” Rika asked eagerly. The ocean was something she knew about in concept alone, having never left Hinamizawa, which was located far inland in Japan.

Rena noticed the eager look on her face, and smiled. “Rika-chan, do you want to see it? Do you?”

Rika nodded enthusiastically. This might have been the most excited she'd been in a long while.

* * *

  
  


The ocean, Rika decided, was damn near amazing. Sure, there wasn't any 'waves lapping at the ankles' like she'd imagined (Hulbury was more a port than anything), but it was still something she'd dare to call magical.

An endless world of blue, stretching on to the infinite horizon. It made even problems like Rika's, which involved manipulation on a temporal level, seem almost small and asinine.

The girls took a deep breath, savouring the smell of the ocean air. “I wonder, how far is it to the next landmass?” Rika wondered out loud. “If the others aren't in Galar, how far would we have to go?”

“Rika-chan?” Rena asked.

“What if we don't find them in Galar? What if we're the only ones in this world?” What if...”

Rika paused as Rena patted her on the head. “It'll be fine, Rika-chan,” she said. “They'll be here, somewhere. After all, if even one of us is here...”

“The rest are sure to follow,” Rika finished. “You're right, Rena-san. If even one of us was left behind, I've no doubt they'd find a way to tear a hole in reality. That's just how we are.”

“Yes. That's just how we are,” Rena agreed. “Keiichi-kun said it best himself. We can overcome anything destiny throws at us.”

“Because we already have,” Rika smiled. “Thank you, Rena-san. I think I just needed to hear someone say that.”

* * *

  
  


The day went on with the two exploring the town. The sounds of waves and battles from the gym filled the town with their noise, as they looked high and low for clues on their friends.

The only real thing of note they found was chairman Rose going around 'incognito'. Said disguise was a hat, a pair of sunglasses, a white jumper, and what could only flatteringly be called a pair of blue boxers.

Rika was sure they were just short shorts, but... they could have been more flattering.

Even Rena, little miss 'Colonel Sanders is adorable', was slightly off-put by the look.

So, they decided to ignore that, and continued moving east, until the reached the exit of town.

An exit which, strangely enough, led into more mines.

“What is it with Galar and mines?” Rika asked. “I swear, if there are Woobats here...”

“Ya won't have ta worry about that, mate,” a punk-looking guy shouted. “There are Noibats, though, but they're tiny scraps.”

The girls looked at the man. He was large, dressed in black and... pink? Indigo? Some sort of purplish-red. He also had a horn with two outlets, strangely enough.

“You're with Team Yell, right sir?” Rika asked.

“You got it, lass. We're here to support our girl Marnie in the Gym Challenges.”

“Ah, so you're avid fans, are you? Are you?” Rena asked. “I'm sure Marnie-san appreciates your hard work!”

The Team Yell member chuckled heartedly. “So, you girls passing through here to Motostoke?”

“Yes, sir. Did you happen to see anyone else pass by? We're looking for our friends, you see.”

“Depends. Is your friend that Bede fellow with the white hair?” Both girls shook their head. “Then can't say I've seen anyone else. Only people that've been through today were him and his friend.”

“I see,” Rika said, mildly dejected. “Well, we won't get in your way any longer, sir.”

The girls passed through into Galar Mine No.2, having at the punk-man as they passed.

After a few minutes, another punk looking guy joins the first one. “Who were those two?” he asked his friend.

“Just some travellers,” the guy answered. “Lookin' for lost friends, apparently.”

“That so? Good on them.”

* * *

  
  


Galar Mine No.2 was very different from the one connecting Routes Three and Four. Unlike Mine No.1, which was drab, brown, and most likely used to mine for coal, this one was brighter, damper, and from the looks of it, used for mining gems.

It was a far better sight than the last mine, at the very least.

Rika and Rena used this chance to get a few levels on their partners, since experience was showing the wild Pokemon were getting stronger the more they travelled.

After half an hour, the levels were as such:

Satochu: 35.

Keiivee: 29.

Toxel: 20.

On top of that, Rena made a point of catching every Whimpod and Shuckle she found (which, thankfully, was only one of each, since Rika made a point of knocking out some and 'accidentally' getting in the way of others).

Then, when they were roughly halfway through the mines, they encountered...

Bede.

The white haired trainer turned around, a haughty, arrogant expression on his face, which quickly faded away upon seeing them. “I was half expecting some of the other challengers, but instead it's the girl from the mines yesterday.”

“Yesterday?” Rika asked, confused. “Did we meet yesterday, sir?”

“Well, I wouldn't call it 'meet',” Bede admitted. “You were pretty on edge at that point.”

“I see. Sorry about that, sir.”

“It's fine, really,” Bede said. “Everyone has bad days from time to time. From the looks of it, though, yours managed to turn itself around.”

“It did, really,” both Rika and Rena said simultaniously. Rena walked up to Bede. “I know it's not worth much to a Gym Challenger like yourself,” she said, “but thank you for not giving my friend a hard time. It might have just been a small thing to do, but you're a nice guy for doing it.”

And with that, Bede turned about as red as a tomato. Some might have said 'as pink as his jacket', but that had a slight purple tint to it, so if he actually went that colour, that would have been cause for concern.

“I... I'm not that kind!” he shouted suddenly. “I just... I thought if I said anything at the time, you'd have killed me, that's all!”

That was a weirdly specific thing to use while getting defensive, but the girls found it amusing, at the very least.

“So, what are you looking for, I wonder? I wonder?” Rena asked innocently.

Bede coughed into his hand, in an attempt to dispel his blush. If Rika could pick out any telltale signs of adolescence, or even pre-adolescence, if the need be, it was the fact that Bede was, as of right now, developing a crush, even if he didn't realise it yet.

“If you must know,” Bede said, “my colleague and I are one the search for Wishing Stars.”

“Wishing Stars?” Rena asked. “What are those?”

“They're sources of energy that allow trainers to utilise Dynamaxing when they're fitted into a band,” Bede answered. “Chairman Rose has been using them in an attempt to find cleaner sources of energy.”

“Ah, he's trying to go eco-friendly?” Rika stated happily. “It's always nice to know there are authority figures who care so much.”

“Of course he cares,” Bede stated proudly. “The chairman is a kind-hearted entrepreneur, who even took in an orphan like myself. He's a great man, certainly better than the champion.”

“Do you have a bit of a chip about the champion? Do you?” Rena asked.

“A... a little,” Bede admitted bashfully.

' _Oh my lord, even Rena's voice is enough to get him all shy,_ ' Rika thought. ' _And I thought I dealt with enough of this lovey-dovey crap back when Rena got cursed that one time._ '

(Note: see Daybreak arc for more details.)

“Look, it's really not that big a deal,” Bede said. “I just feel like people give more attention to champion Leon, when the chairman does so much more for the region. Is that so wrong?”

Rika recognised a certain look in his eyes. A look of innocent admiration. And sure enough, upon seeing that look, Rena's body began to tremble.

“Oh no,” Rika muttered. She recognised this effect. This was an intense build up of 'I wanna take 'em home' energy, and if that was let out on this poor boy...

Bede wouldn't survive it if his first experience with it was this intense. Quickly and discretely, Rika searched the perimeter for any possible distractions.

Then, she saw one.

“Look! A heard of Chewtle!” Rika shouted.

Both Bede and Rena turned their attention to the heard, and thankfully, it had the intended effect on Rena.

She ran directly at them, shouting “I'm gonna take 'em all home!”

Bede watched in confusion and intrigue as the heard scattered, and Rena threw pokeballs left, right, and centre. “What... just happened?”

“She gets hyper when she finds something she considers cute,” Rika explained. “And I should point out, she has a _very_ wide definition for 'cute'.”

“I...” Bede was at a loss of words. So, he settled for the easy ones. “I see.”

Rika let out a small sigh. “Well, I'd best catch up to her, before she ends up owning every Pokemon in the cave.”

And like a summer breeze, Rika had disappeared into the distance. Leaving Bede bewildered.

“Oi! Bede!” the sound of a young girl echoed. The trainer turned around, to see a young, blonde haired girl in green running towards him.

“Ah, it's you,” Bede said calmly. “So, things go well on your end?”

The girl grinned eagerly. “Of course it did! Have you forgotten what lady you're talking to?”

Bede nodded patiently. “Then tell me, how many Stunfisks did you catch along the way?”

The girl looked away briefly. “Maybe... a few...” she started hesitantly, “dozen.”

Bede sighed, and patted the girl fondly on the head. “Haven't I told you to focus on your type coverage?”

“I can't help it!” she shouted back. “They just remind me of home.”

Bede couldn't help but wonder what sort of home she had, that trap-based Pokemon reminded her of it.

“No matter, then,” he decided. “If it makes you feel better, who am I to judge?” Removing his hand, Bede turned back around. “Let's get moving again. We've still got ground to cover, and you still want to find those friends of yours, right, Satoko?”

Satoko Houjou Let out her famed haughty laugh. “But of course, Bede,” she said. “And I trust you still remember our deal?”

“Of course I do,” he replied. “You help me with my task, but only until we reunite you with at least one of your friends. It's what the chairman agreed to, after all.”

Thus marked the point where, just barely, a heartfelt reunion was missed.

* * *

  
  


Let us take a moment, however, to give focus to something taking place far away, on an island known as the Isle of Armour.

By the shoreline, a brown haired boy practised martial arts alongside a small, bear-like Pokemon.

The youth wished to travel, to find the friends he had lost, but he knew his limits. He knew that, if he went too early, he would not survive in this strange new world.

So, for the past week, he waited. Bided his time, and trained alongside his new team.

Tomorrow, however, he would be ready to head into mainland Galar, and to properly begin his search.

And God forbid anyone stupid enough to get in the way of Keiichi Maebara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, it's quite frankly startling just how much Higurashi has managed to associated the act of scratching ones own neck with dread.  
> So, now we know the status of Satoko and Keiichi. Rika's in a good mental state, Bede's a nice fellow in this continuum, and Victor might possibly be losing it.  
> What does the future hold? Find out... after an intermission to the past.  
> Next time!


	4. Keiichi and the Trial of Armour

(Time set: one week ago)

Keiichi Maebara, age 15, woke up in a bed he did not recognise.

Now, most times, this might not be the worst thing. Maybe he just passed out somewhere, and either Rena or Mion carried him to their places. Or hell, maybe even to Irei's clinic.

This place, however, seemed to permeate a stench of sweat and hard work.

In fact, now that he looked, he wasn't even on a bed; this was someones couch. Not to mention, there was an absolutely massive TV on one of the wall.

“Where the hell am I?” Keiichi asked himself.

“You're in the Master Dojo, lad,” an old man said, who was sitting on a couch of his own. “Ya certainly gave us a scare, being all unconscious on the beach.”

“Beach? What?” Keiichi questioned. “Where are we? And... who are you?”

“Me? The name's Mustard,” the old man said with a smile. “I'm the master here on the Isle of Armour. Cheesed to meet ya!”

“Cheesed to...” Keiichi tried to suppress a laugh. Key word being 'tried'. “Okay, that was pretty good.”

Mustard chuckled. “Glad to see ya still got a sense of humour to ya. Still don't know what brought ya here, though.”

“I... honestly don't have an answer for that,” Keiichi admitted. “You said this was the “Isle of Armour', right? Where is that in regards to Hinamizawa? Or even Japan, for that matter?”

Mustard tilted his head curiously. “Can't say I've heard of either o' those places, lad. They close to Galar?”

“Sorry, but what's... Galar?”

“Hmm, I see,” Mustard mused, face going from jovial to serious. “Then, one last question. Do you know what 'Pokemon' are?”

* * *

  
  


By the time the sun set, Keiichi was lying outside on the beach, gazing at the sunset as he tried to cope with the truth that he and Mustard had decided on.

Keiichi Maebara, to put it simply, was from another world.

It sounded asinine. In fact, on paper, it seemed like the single most impossible thing ever. Then again, Rika had said on one occasion that she could foresee events before they happened, so maybe?

Actually, now that he thought about it, did he have that conversation with Rika? Or did he just extrapolate that from other conversations and events?

Regardless of how he got that titbit of information, one pressing question remained on his mind.

“How am I going to survive?” he asked the endless sky. Mustard had told him about how this 'world of Pokemon' worked, and offered to help train him if Keiichi went and caught one of his own. Even gave him one of those 'pokeball' things for it.

Which now begged the question; what was he suppose to catch? It all felt so strange to think about.

His thoughts were interrupted, however, by a small yapping from the side.

He looked down, to see a small, brown, dog-like Pokemon looking at him eagerly, as if wanting to play.

“Hey there, little guy,” Keiichi said. “Are you lost as well?”

The Pokemon yipped at him, eyeing the pokeball eagerly. “What, you want to play fetch with this?” Keiichi asked. “I don't think you'll like this kind of ball, buddy.”

In response, the Pokemon gave another yap, and headbutted the ball out of his hand. Then, after leaping surprisingly high into the air, it tapped the button that marked the front of the ball, and in a burst of red light, entered it.

Keiichi watched in disbelief as the ball rocked back and forth, before finally coming to a stop.

“I... What just happened?” he asked. “No seriously, what was that?”

* * *

  
  


When he returned to the dojo, Mustard seemed pleasantly surprised.

“Well, when I told ya to look into getting your own Pokemon, I didn't expect ya to pull it off so easily,” he said. “And a Rockruff ain't a bad partner, either. Good on ya, Keiichi.”

“A Rockruff, huh,” Keiichi muttered, looking the Pokemon in its clear blue eyes. “Then, I guess I'm eligible to take that training of yours?”

“If yer that eager to see your friends again, it's your best bet,” Mustard said eagerly. “Plus, with the new guy coming by tomorrows end, we'll finally be able to host the Trial of Armour! That'll set you right!”

“Trial of Armour?”

“Oh, don't worry about that just yet,” a woman Keiichi hadn't met before said. She was, for lack of a better word, remarkably attractive. She looked old enough to be Mustard's daughter. “That's just his way of getting people excited.”

“You know it,” Mustard agreed. “I don't think I introduced you, yet. This is Honey, the matron of the dojo, and also my wife.”

“What?” Keiichi shouted. “You're his wife? But you... I mean... Huh?”

“Surprised?” Honey asked, laughing slightly. “Never would have guessed I'm over 50, would you?”

“I wouldn't have even guessed 30!” Keiichi stated, causing Mustard and Honey to laugh.

Well, at the very least, he wouldn't be too bored here.

* * *

  
  


The following day, Keiichi's training began in full.

First off, he got his uniform; a yellow karate gi. It wasn't a bright, flashy yellow, yet it wasn't exactly muted either. It kind of...

Reminded him of mustard.

Was this all just some visual pun? Keiichi wasn't exactly sure at this point.

Training was, to his surprise, more traditional martial arts, and less Pokemon battling. Sure, there was a little bit of it sprinkled throughout the day, but it seemed more about focusing the minds of both trainer and Pokemon.

Honestly, though, it did help calm his nerves a bit. Sure, he was still with a mountain of worries, but now he felt like he was doing something about them.

Then, some time after lunch, that new student Mustard mentioned arrived.

He was the sort of guy you'd mistake for a woman if you looked from behind. Tall, slender, blonde, and dressed in purple. He wore a pair of round glasses, and a very tall hat that had his pokeballs levitating around it.

And yes, we do mean 'levitating'. Keiichi had seen many tricks and traps in his time, so he could tell if there were wires or clear poles. No, this guy was just straight up moving them with his mind.

“Well, make yaself at home, then,” Mustard told him. “I'll be calling a small get together in an hour, so get to know some of the others, yeah?”

“Of course,” the guy said. Man, he sounded kind of pompous.

When Mustard finally left him, Keiichi took this as his time to strike... up a conversation. “Yo. You the newer guy, then?” he asked. “Name's Keiichi.”

“Avery. Charmed,” the guy replied. “The master told me about you. Said you come from a land without Pokemon, nor that you know how you got here.”

“Yeah, it kinda blows,” Keiichi admitted. “If it helps you any, you can just pretend it's amnesia and call it a day.”

“Quite considerate of you, using such Foresight,” Avery said. Keiichi was at least 40% certain there was a play on words in that, but he couldn't say for certain. “Tell me, why do you choose to study here? Surely there's other things for you to want to do?”

“You're not wrong. There's so much I'd rather be getting to,” Keiichi admitted. “But, as I am now, I wouldn't be able to do much of anything. If I want to find my friends, I need to be strong enough to take on anything that gets in my way.”

Avery looked mildly surprised by Keiichi impromptu speech, yet gave an approving smile none-the-less. “Your goals, while different from that of a normal trainer, are certainly a thing to admire. I'll look forward to seeing your potential.”

* * *

  
  


The hours passed, and Mustard called the group meeting.

“Alrighty, are we all here?” he asked. “Good. Then we can get started.” Mustard cleared his throat. “Now that our dojo has reach max capacity, the time has finally come for... the Trial of Armour!”

“He mentioned that the other day,” Keiichi muttered, “but why did it have to wait until the dojo was maxed out?”

“Probably so no one joins mid-trial,” Avery suggested. “Perhaps to avoid adding stress to students joining in the middle of it, or maybe it's to stop people joining exclusively for the trial.”

“Makes sense when you put it like that.”

“The trial will consist of three individual events,” Mustard continued. “The one who manages to come out on top and complete all three will be rewarded... the dojos Secret Armour!”

The other students erupted in excited cheers, while Keiichi was left rather bemused. “Secret armour?” he asked. “I'm just gonna assume it's a metaphor for something, and not literal plate armour.”

“Now, the first two trials, they'll be easy enough, but the third trial can only be taken by the two best performing students among you,” Mustard finished. “Now, for the first trial...”

Something pink and yellow shot throw the air. Actually, three things did. They were moving impossibly fast, and Keiichi could barely keep track of them.

“...is to defeat these three specially trained Slowpokes,” Mustard concluded. The three blurs darted out the front door, breaking it as they did. “You'll have to find them in the Soothing Wetlands. Whelp, of ya go!”

Just about every student in the dojo rushed out in chase of the Slowpokes, leaving Keiichi standing alone, rather bewildered.

“Well, nothing to it, I guess,” he muttered. “Just gotta play by the rules of the Hinamizawa Games Club, and give it my all!”

“Hold up a moment,” someone called out. Keiichi turned, to see a young boy walking towards him with headphones in his ears.

“Hyde, right?” Keiichi quickly confirmed. “Did you need something?”

Hyde was the son of Mustard and Honey. After getting over the shock that those two were married, the next most shocking thing about it was that his name was a kind of condiment.

“It's not a matter of what 'I' need,” Hyde responded, before hand Keiichi a rectangular device. “Here. You need your own Rotom Phone. It's already got a Pokedex installed on it too, so you won't have to worry about not knowing any Pokemon you run into.”

And just like that, he left as quickly as he arrived. “What an odd kid,” Keiichi said. “But, he's certainly nice in how direct he is.” He looked down at the Rotom Phone in his hand, and smirked. “Well, if it helps in the long run, who am I to complain?”

* * *

  
  


When Keiichi finally arrived at the Soothing Wetlands, he could tell almost instantly that this was going to be a strange mission.

From what he had read up, the Pokemon Slowpoke was, well, a slow species. Yet, here three were, moving about as fast as a souped up car.

“Let's see, if you can't catch it...” Keiichi mused, “then we'll need to slow it down. Rockruff!” he called forth his sole partner. “Use Sand Attack on the nearest one!”

Sand Attack, generally used to drop an opponents accuracy, was not the sort of move you'd think to use to slow a foe down. Then again, that was the thinking of people who relied solely on numbers.

The Slowpoke that was hit by hit, while not slowly to a crawl, at least dropped to a more manageable speed. “Alright! Now, hit it with a Bite!” The command flowed from Keiichi naturally, and Rockruff bit down powerfully on the Slowpoke. The Slowpoke gave a cry of pain, before...

Retreating back to the dojo. Guess that's what counts as a point, then.

At that same moment, another Slowpoke darted by, heading for the dojo.

“So, you managed to score one as well?” Avery asked as he approached Keiichi. “Quite impressive, for one with claims of inexperience. You clearly possess a Calm Mind, Keiichi.”

“Not really. I'm just playing as I always have,” he responded. “So, that just leaves one Slowpoke, and we're both tied up. Think you can keep up with me?”

Avery gave a rather sinister chuckle as he adjusted his glasses. “My Agility is already at max, Keiichi. It'll take more than bravado to send me into Psyshock.”

Noticing where the final Slowpoke was, the two charged off, all while trying to shoulder each other out of the way.

* * *

  
  


As luck would have it, by the time the two of them reached the target, it had already been taken out by the conjoint efforts of the other students.

Dejected (though not too much so), Keiichi and Avery walked back to the dojo. On the way, though, Keiichi paused, when he saw a small black and red Pokemon calling out in pain.

“A Zorua?” Avery noted. “I suppose it is the sort of weather for them to be out.”

“Zorua? I wonder what sort of Pokemon that is,” Keiichi muttered, checking the Pokedex. “Let's see... Illusion Pokemon... know to be timid?”

“It's the entire reason they developed the ability to create illusions,” Avery explained. “Still, this one doesn't look well. Was it separated from its pack?”

Keiichi looked into the Zorua's eyes, and something in his mind just sort of clicked. “I think... it might have been abandoned.”

“Abandoned? Highly unlikely. The parent Pokemon, Zoruark, care deeply for their kin. For one of their own to be abandoned is, quite frankly, astronomically low possibility.”

“But not impossible,” Keiichi pointed out. “Besides, there's something about the look in its eyes. It's... familiar.” He wouldn't say it out loud, but he knew that look all too well. Last time he saw it was on Satoko, after her uncle had come back to Hinamizawa; a hollow, beaten down look that was easy to cover up. He knew that look, and he swore to save anyone with that look after Teppei Houjou was finally put behind bars. “Right, then. Only one thing to it.”

So, Keiichi held out a pokeball to the Zorua. The Pokemon sniffed in cautiously, before looking at him with eyes that seemed to desperately try not to have hope.

Keiichi gave a warm, patient smile, and deciding to take its chances, the Zorua pressed the button on the ball.

“Curious,” Avery muttered. “Most curious indeed. You seem to have such a keen understanding of the minds of others.”

“It's nothing that big,” Keiichi replied. “I just decided a long time ago that I didn't want to see anyone sad again.”

* * *

  
  


After returning to the dojo, it was decided that Keiichi and Avery were among those who had passed the first trial. As a reward for being the only two to defeat a Slowpoke on their own, Honey had given them the choice of one of two Pokemon; a Squirtle or a Bulbasaur.

Then Avery twisted things around, and offered his choice to Keiichi, now leaving him with a team of four.

Avery explained this as him 'not needing more for his team', but just about everyone could see through that lie. It was plainly obvious that Avery was just trying to be nice.

Then, the second trial came around.

“Alrighty. First, let me congratulate you kids on completing the first trial,” Mustard said eagerly. “It's quite plain to see that you younguns have quite a bit of potential to ya. Now, for the second trial...” Mustard pulled out a red mushroom. No, that wasn't an innuendo, get your mind out of the gutter. “You're task will be to get three of these Max Mushrooms. You'll find them in the Forest of Focus and the many caves on the island. The first two to get them and get back will move on to the final trial.”

“So first was trying to keep up with fast targets, and now a scavenger hunt?” Avery questioned. “Master Mustard certainly has a strange sense of what constitutes a trial.”

“I hear you there,” Keiichi agreed, “but then again, it feels like something out of a kid's manga.”

* * *

  
  


The Forest of Focus, as it turned out, was basically a maze. Granted, Keiichi was able to use that sheer size to get some training in for his new team, but that didn't change the fact that he had to look for freaking shrooms, of all things.

So far, with the help of his new Bulbasaur and Zorua, he was able to find two of the needed Max Mushrooms. He had to admit, holding them in his hands was quite the experience. The sheer weight of it, combined with its girth was frankly a sight to behold. In fact, just holding them in his hand told of a great deal of density behind them. Were one not careful, they might get addicted to holding such impressive mushrooms.

Keiichi noticed a faint red glow in the distance. “Ah! The last one!” he said, rushing towards it.

Only problem was, when he got into the clearing, he saw Avery approaching the same mushroom from a different direction.

Both trainers jumped back a few steps. “Well, this is an impasse,” Avery stated. “I could claim 'finders keepers' with my psychic powers, yet I doubt you'd let that be, Keiichi.”

“Both of us could claim 'first', yet be unable to prove it,” Keiichi retorted, “so we'd best settle this like gentlemen; with a battle. Although,” he smirked, “you look like the type of guy who struggles handling his own mushroom, so how about you throw in the towel, and stick to handling the two you've already got?”

Avery's brow twitched angrily, yet he smirked all the same. “Oh? And I suppose you have experience handling three mushrooms at once, then?”

Oh, he was good. Not many people could make a comeback that quickly, at least in Keiichi's experience. “Then put 'em up!”

The trainers sent out their Pokemon. Avery threw out Swoobat, while Keiichi led with... Rockruff? ' _Strange,_ ' Keiichi thought. ' _Didn't I grab Zorua's ball?'_

“A curious choice, Keiichi,” Avery stated boldly, “but a foolish one! Swoobat, blear his mind with Confusion!”

Swoobat let out a wave of psychic energy, striking 'Rockruff' directly... and doing literally nothing. Both trainers were caught off guard, until the light wavered around Rockruff, revealing Zorua in his place.

“Not bad, buddy!” Keiichi shouted. “Now, hit back with Knock Off!”

Knock Off, as far as dark type attacks went, wasn't the most move in existence. A move with moderate strength to account for the ability to knock the opponents item out of their possession.

Moderate, though, when applied to super effective attacks, quickly became powerful, as Swoobat was knocked out in one move.

“Wha...” Avery muttered. “So easily too... Are you sure you're not a prodigy like myself? I fear I'm going into Psyshock!”

“You already used that pun,” Keiichi retorted. “Now, you gonna continue?”

Avery let out a small sigh. “No, I know better than to fight an uphill battle like this. Besides, with the forest inhabited by so many bug times, I'll need to conserve my strength.” Then, he turned around. “You may have this shroom, Keiichi. Here's hoping you can handle all three of them getting back. Avery, Teleport!”

“Low blow!” Keiichi shouted back, paying little mind to the fact that the guy just told himself to use a Pokemon move.

Putting that aside, Keiichi plucked the Max Mushroom from the ground, and hurried back to the dojo.

* * *

  
  


As it turned out, Keiichi was the first to complete the trial, with Avery not that far behind.

And, on top of that, the entire reason for collecting Max Mushrooms... was so that Honey could make her 'world famous' Max Stew. Keiichi would admit, he could see why it was considered such.

Then, come 7 PM, it was time for the final trial.

Mustard took them out back, to a large, open sport field. “Now, are you boys ready?” he asked. “You're final trial, to decide who is worth of the dojos secret armour, will be a battle between the both of you.”

“Kind of unsurprising,” Keiichi muttered.

“Quite,” Avery agreed.

“Now, a few ground rules for ya,” Mustard continued. “You'll both be restricted to four Pokemon each, and this arena will allow you to Dynamax if you wish. Speaking of which,” Mustard handed Keiichi a white wrist-strap. “Here, this'll allow you to use that very power.”

“A truly even fight, then,” Avery pointed out, as he walked to his end of the court. “It seems I made the right call to not press our fight earlier.”

“Seems so,” Keiichi agreed, arriving at his end of the court and equipping the Dynamax Band. “Think you'll be able to keep up with me?”

“You merely got a lucky advantage last time. It won't happen again.”

* * *

  
  


The battle began with fierce gusto. First was Wartortle vs Ponyta, ending in a quick point to Keiichi and his Wartortle.

Second came Avery's Swoobat, who's speed proved too great an advantage for Wartortle, evening the odds. Avery pushed his new advantage, taking out Keiichi's Ivysaur as it came out, quickly taking the lead.

“So, this is a proper Pokemon battle, then?” Keiichi questioned. “What incredible pressure.”

“Indeed, Keiichi. This is what it means to fight as a professional,” Avery stated boldly. “To fight on nothing but blind bravado is the height of folly! Fate is never kind to you more than once!”

Keiichi smirked as he sent Zorua (once again disguised as Rockruff) out. “Sorry to break it to you, but I've never given a damn about fate. One year ago, fate decided it wanted me and my friends dead, and you know what we did?” He gave a dramatic thumbs-down. “We kicked fate to the curb! Now, start us off with Torment!”

Torment was a move that prevented the opponent from using the same move twice in a row. Simple, but against a foe with only a flying type and psychic type attack, it did wonders for stalling Swoobat out, and getting the knockout with a Knock Off.

The battle evened, Avery sent out Kadabra, a pure psychic type Pokemon. It's only option to attack Zorua was the unmissing Swift move, which, while not too strong, did a decent amount of damage before Keiichi's side took the lead, knocking Kadabra out with little fanfare.

“Kick fate to the curb, huh?” Avery mused. “Yes, with the sort of drive you have, I could imagine it. It must have been Amnesia on my part to forget already that you have such a passion.” He readied his final pokeball. “Steal the show, Slowbro!”

Slowbro, Keiichi noticed, looked a lot like Slowpoke, outside of standing upright, and having a giant shell clamped to its left arm.

“Start us out with Disable!” Avery called, as Slowbro sealed Zorua's access to Knock Off.

“What?” Keiichi shouted, caught off guard.

Avery smirked. “Now, hit him with Shell Side Arm!”

Slowbro aimed the shell arm, and shot a poison blob out of it, hitting Zorua dead on, and knocking him out.

Keiichi called Zorua back to the ball. “So, this is you serious, huh? Not bad,” Keiichi admitted, calling forth Rockruff. “But, the Hinamizawa Game Club doesn't raise quitters!”

“Then show me that!” Avery shouted back. “Slowbro, unleash Water Pulse!”

“Stack up on Double Team!”

What followed was a sight to behold, Slowbro, despite his name, was a remarkably quick shot, firing off shot after shot that Rockruff could only barely dodge at first.

Key words being 'at first'. As the battle progressed, Rockruff became faster and faster. “Now, use Rock Tomb!”

Rock Tomb struck true, and while it didn't do a lot of damage, it did slow the foe down.

“Seems, I'll have to step it up substantially, then,” Avery muttered. “Slowbro, return!”

Keiichi was confused when Slowbro was called back to the ball, yet then it made sense, when the ball sudden grew five sizes, and Avery threw it back out onto the field.

Simply put, Slowbro was not the size of a large building.

“Is that... Dynamaxing?” Keiichi asked in shock.

“Indeed it is,” Avery stated. “I was willing to hold off on it. Treat this battle like one in Spikemuth. But, at this point, it would be an insult on your capabilities not to use it! Now, Slowbro, unleash Max Geyser!”

Slowbro let out a torrent of water -nay, a veritable waterfall- at Rockruff, which hit straight on.

“Rockruff!” Keiichi called. Water was one of the weaknesses of rock types, so this could very well be the end of the battle.

Yet, Rockruff held on. He held on, despite the constant pressure, and let out a defiant howl. At that point in time, Rockruff was engulfed in a blinding light. His form changed, growing larger, hairier, and oranger.

At that moment, Rockruff had evolved into Lycanroc Dusk Form.

Lycanroc broke out of the Geyser, and landed a Sucker Punch on Slowbro. While his foe was still reeling, Lycanroc went in and hit with a strong Bite, before jumping back to Keiichi's side.

“Rockr... no, Lycanroc,” he corrected himself. “You still good to go?” Lycanroc ruffed back at his trainer in affirmation. “Alright, then let's finish this!”

Then the intense light of Dynamax died down, and Slowbro fell to the floor. “It seems it's already finished,” Avery muttered. His shoulders shook for a moment, then he let out a laugh. “Never have I seen such a Power Trick before! A phenomenal display of strength, Keiichi.”

“We... won?” Keiichi muttered. Then, he let out a cheer. “We won!” Lycanroc yipped joyfully in response.

“Wonderful display, the both of you,” Mustard said, approaching them. “Keiichi, you've already managed to come so far in such a short amount of time. I had a feeling you had potential the moment we found ya. And Avery,” he turned to the other trainer. “You managed to face such an opponent with honour, and handled your loss with dignity. It's plain to see that you are a fine addition to our dojo.”

“I thank you, master,” Avery said with a bow.

“Now, it's getting rather late, ain't it?” Mustard pointed out. “As one final send off for the day to our victor, Keiichi Maebara...”

“Congratulations!”

* * *

  
  


Keiichi ended up sleeping in the following morning. Who could blame him, after having to do three trials over the course of an afternoon and coming out on top.

When he finally woke up, the sun was already high in the morning sky. Getting dressed in his gi, he went down to the main room.

There, Mustard was waiting. “Finally up, kiddo?” he asked. “That was an impressive display yesterday. I'm cheesed you were able to complete it all.”

“Well, it wasn't easy,” Keiichi said, ignoring the 'cheese' pun. “Was there really a need to put all three trials in a single day, yet alone an afternoon?”

“It's more fun that way,” Mustard answered. “A warrior more readily shows his true colours when under stress, after all.”

“That so?” Keiichi asked. “Then, what would you describe me and Avery as?”

“Avery proved himself noble at heart, and you, fierce and loyal.” Mustard gave a small chuckle. “Well, enough about that. You probably want to know what the secret armour is, don't you?”

Keiichi nodded eagerly, almost like a puppy waiting for a walk. “Well, glad to see you're eager,” Mustard laughed. “Alright, then. Allow me to present...” He threw out a pokeball, and from it came a small, grey bear cub Pokemon. “The Isle of Armour's secret armour, Kubfu!”

Kubfu, the Wushu Pokemon, displayed a series of martial art maneuvers, before coming to a halt when he saw Keiichi, and running behind Mustard's leg. “Although, unfortunately, this one's a little bit skittish.”

Keiichi didn't mind. In fact, the first think that came to mind when he looked at Kubfu was Rena, of all people; strong, but easily flustered. “Well, I certainly don't mind,” he said, kneeling down to meet Kubfu's eyes. “Nice to meet ya, Kubfu!”

Kubfu slowly came out of his cover, and met Keiichi's gaze. “Well, I can tell you two will get along swimmingly!” Mustard stated. “Now, I know what you're thinking, Keiichi. You want to head into mainland Galar to find your friends, right?”

“Obviously,” Keiichi responded, standing upright again. “Are you going to stop me?”

“Only for a few days,” Mustard said seriously. “You have drive, Keiichi, but that alone won't be enough to get by. Stay here at least four more days, and hone the skills you have. That's all I ask of you.”

Keiichi was quite taken back by Mustard dropping his usually jovial attitude. “Alright,” he agreed. “If you think it's that serious, I'll hold off. But _only_ for those four days.”

* * *

  
  


The course of the next four days could only properly be described as 'Rocky-level training montage'. Between meals and sleep, most of his time was spent honing both mind and body, for himself and his team of five. Really, the only thing missing from it was the music.

Then, come the dawn of day eight since he first woke up, he left the island.

Stepping off the train and into the Meetup Spot of the Wild Area, Keiichi took a look at his map.

“Let's see. From here, options are a train to Wedgehurst, walking to Motostoke, or all the way to Hammerlocke.” Making his mind up, he put the map away. “Hammerlocke seems to be the biggest place, so I think we'll have the best odds at finding anyone there.”

“Wait for me, everyone. I'm on my way!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, we are accounted for four members of the Hinamizawa Games Club. Three in mainland Galar, and one hightailing it from the Isle of Armour.  
> Things are about to start heating up, methinks.


	5. A Named Dread in Stow-on-Side

The following day, after many of the Gym Challengers had defeated the third leader, what was best described as a pilgrimage to Hammerlocke took place.

The first few to arrive in Hammerlocke were Victor, Hop, Bede, and Satoko. After leaving Motostoke, Hop and Bede had gotten into a little spat, with Bede's comments on Hop 'dragging the champ's name through the mud' stirring on a brief Pokemon battle.

Victor had arrive at Hammerlocke first, followd not long after by Bede and company. After that, Hop finally caught up, although he looked a little down.

This served to anger Victor greatly. Sure, Victor and Hop had butted heads a few days ago, but that was still his best friend being emotionally beaten down.

As Victor made his way through Route Six, on the west of Hammerlocke, and on the way to Stow-on-Side, that he felt something sinister.

He first truly noticed it in the Wild Area, on his way to Hammerlocke. At that time, he thought it was just a small Pokemon following him; rustling grass here and there, a splash in a puddle he'd passed. All signs that something was following him curiously.

Then, when he finally entered Hammerlocke proper, namely, when he went to the clothes store to check out their stock, 'something' became 'someone'.

Every time he stopped walking, he'd have sworn he heard an extra footstep behind himself. Yet, every time he turned around, there was nothing.

Even now, as he trekked the dusty paths of Route Six, he could make out the extra footsteps. It was both unnerving and annoying.

As he came to the last stretch of Route Six, before reaching the next town, he spotted a familiar hooded figure heading in the other direction.

“You?” Victor questioned. “Don't tell me you already cleared both gyms down this way?”

The mysterious trainer merely nodded, as if saying 'then I just won't say it'. He would have appreciated the sarcasm, were he not already slightly on edge. “Mate, you're clearly gunning to be the top contender, aren't you?” Victor said. “Well, don't think I'll let it be so easy.” He tried to sound eager, and channel some of Hop's energy, yet recent stresses had left him rather drained.

The hooded trainer gave a small, warm smile. That at least gave Victor some respite. As they passed each other, though, they said something in a quiet voice.

“Please be careful,” they... no, she said. “Your mind is going down a dark path. What you should fear now, more than ever, is your own perspective.”

Victor turned to ask more, yet found the mystery trainer had vanished like the wind.

“Fear... my own perspective?” he asked. “What does that mean?”

Shaking his head in frustration, he pressed on to the next stop, forgetting all about the conversation.

Bede was going to be up ahead, anyway. If he was going to inevitably run into that guy, he'd need to prepare himself mentally.

But, he couldn't help but wonder where the best place to hide a body would be.

* * *

  
  


Next to pass through was Keiichi Maebara. While he arguably had a head-start in terms of travelling, he also had the least sense of direction out of everyone on the way.

Even though it was just a line with a few small turns from the Meetup Spot to the city.

Considering the amount of time it took him, the conversation between Victor and the mystery trainer had long since passed.

What he did run into, however, were a pair of Team Yell grunts watching over a sleeping Silicobra.

“They seem more than a little occupied,” Keiichi muttered. “Best I just sneak on by without a sound.”

As he snuck by, one of the grunts noticed him. He and Keiichi made eye contact for a brief moment, before they flashed each other a thumbs up, and continued on their way.

His next stop, like most others, was Stow-on-Side.

* * *

  
  


Finally, was the team of Rika Furude and Rena Ryuuguu.

Time wise, they had left Motostoke around the time Bede had trounced Hop. Of course, lady luck wasn't on their side, so all they knew when they saw Hop was that 'Bede had beaten him', and not 'Satoko was with Bede'.

After comforting the young trainer, Rika gave him some choice words to help.

“It is fine to follow in your brothers footsteps, Hop-san,” she said, “but before fighting for his sake, you must find a reason to fight for your own. A cause to call your own is always stronger than someone elses.”

Hop wasn't 100% sure what to make of that, but it did serve to raise his spirits somewhat, as he ran off to catch up to Victor at that moment.

* * *

  
  


To put this time frame into perspective:

Victor and Hop left Motostoke at 7:10 AM, running into Bede, and splitting up.

By 7:20, Bede had defeated Hop, and moved on.

During those ten minutes, Keiichi had arrived at the Meetup Spot, and decided to take the slightly longer way to Hammerlocke, arriving at 7:50.

At 7:35, Rika and Rena had left Motostoke, where the previous conversation with Hop had taken place.

At that same time, Victor had arrived at Hammerlocke, with Bede a few minutes behind him.

Hop split up from Rika and Rena around that time, bee-lining it to Hammerlocke, and arriving at 7:55.

By 8:10 AM, Bede and Satoko were already in Stow-on-Side, with Victor and Hop not far behind. Five minutes later, Victor had passed the mysterious trainer.

8:15 AM, the mystery trainer had passed through Hammerlocke, on her way to Circhester and Spikemuth.

At 8:17, Keiichi Maebara arrived in Hammerlocke, and moved on to Route Six.

And finally, at the present time of 8:45 AM.

At this time, Rika Furude and Rena Ryuuguu arrived in Hammerlocke.

* * *

  
  


As far as cities went, Rika thought Hammerlocke was definitely on the better side of them.

For those interested, at the bottom of the list was Motostoke. Even a second visit in a better state of mind wouldn't change her opinion on it.

Hammerlocke, on the other hand, felt somehow cleaner. Perhaps a little imposing, going by the giant... thing in the centre of town. Seriously, what was that? It looked like a statue trying to be the general shape of a dragon, but it was far too skeletal and minimalist to really be called such, at least in Rika's opinion.

“Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?” an old, familiar voice spoke. “How are you doing, Rika?”

“Professor Magnolia!” Rika exclaimed happily. “I'm doing quite alright now, sir. Thank you for asking.”

“I'm glad to hear that,” the aged professor replied. “I see you also managed to find one of your friends.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Rena spoke. “Rika-chan has told me a lot about you. I'm Rena Ryuuguu, it's nice to meet you.”

“And so polite, too,” Magnolia said fondly. “If only my granddaughter, Sonia, had your level of manners, then she might be more respected in the researching field.”

This came as a bit of a surprise to Rika. “Is Sonia-san looked down on in that regard? Is she?” Rena asked.

“Not so much,” Magnolia answered, “but she is the kind that our peers don't take too seriously. It may just be a generational thing, but Sonia has a kind of drive that differs greatly from us older folk.”

“Yes, I... noticed,” Rika muttered, recalling the last time she met Sonia.

Magnolia mirrored Rika's dejected look. “I heard from Victor about last time,” she said. “On behalf of my granddaughter, I apologise for the trouble she caused you.”

“Trouble? Did something happen? Did it?” Rena asked. Now that Rika thought about it, she never did get around to telling her about that part.

“It wasn't anything that big,” Rika explained. “Certainly not something you need to apologise for, professor. It was only being dragged along to things I didn't want to bother with.”

Truthfully, while she didn't show it, the events of that day actually did still bother her. It was an entire half a day, for crying out loud! A part of Rika's mind couldn't help but imagine the possible differences that half a day's head start could have made, even with the whole mine incident.

Really, though, was bothered her most about it was that it was Magnolia apologising for it. If anything, it was something she wanted Sonia herself to apologise for.

Regardless, it wasn't something she was going to dwell too much on. If it never happened, then she'd not lose sleep over it.

“By the way,” Magnolia said suddenly, “those friends of yours; how many more do you have to find?”

“That's a difficult question to answer, sir,” Rika responded. “It's possible Rena-san and I are the only ones here, but... we're the type of group that can never be separated, no matter what. We're hoping that we're still looking for six, but...”

“'But'?” Magnolia asked, noticing Rika looked rather distressed and hesitant.

Rena took this as her cue to continue the conversation. “We... lost two of them over the past few years,” she said. “The first one, Satoshi-kun, vanished on the night of Watanagashi, and Hanyu-chan...”

At this point, Rika began to walk off towards Route Six. Magnolia made to call out to here, but Rena held up a hand to silence her.

“I take it Hanyu was important to her?” Magnolia finally asked.

Rena nodded. “Rika-chan was always rather secretive, even to us. For a long time, she's... looked like she was carrying the weight of the world. We were pretty sure Hanyu-chan was the only person Rika-chan ever confided in. When she vanished at the end of the year, Rika-chan...”

“Never the same, huh?” Magnolia mused. “Yes, I've seen these things happen in my long life. When the people we love most of all leave our lives, we find it tough to move on without them.”

“You are... familiar with the feeling, professor?”

Magnolia gave a wry smile. “I'm old, and I'm a grandmother, sweetie,” she said. “I lost my husband to cancer over a decade ago, so I can tell you from experience that losing a loved one never gets easier, even as time goes on. We just learn to live with the new holes.”

Rena could see the logic in that. Emotionally though, she didn't want to accept it; who would? Nobody wants to live their lives in constant pain. She could only hope to be half the confidant to Rika that Hanyu was.

“Well, I suppose I should get to the point of me asking in the first place,” Magnolia said. “When you're as old as I am, you find waiting around to be the best source of information. Over an hour ago, most of the gym challengers passed through here on their way west to Stow-on-Side. Among them was the white haired trainer, Bede. Do you know him?”

“We do,” Rena replied. “He was quite nice to us, actually.”

“Is that right? Victor and Hop wouldn't stop complaining about his attitude, but I guess the lad just knows how to treat ladies right,” the professor laughed. “Regardless, the thing I noticed wasn't him, so much as it was his companion.” Rena got closer, listening with intent. “I can't say 100% if they were a friend of yours or not, but they looked foreign in the same way you two do. Not long after that, a young man around your age came jogging through, too.”

Rena looked quite surprised at this. “I wasn't able to get their names,” Magnolia continued, “but if you want, I could tell you what they looked like.”

Rena grabbed the professor by the shoulders, and Magnolia noted that Rena's grip was remarkably strong. “Please, tell me everything you know!” the girl pleaded. “If it's a hint, then..!”

Magnolia gave a warm smile, calming Rena down. “I understand, dear,” she said, as Rena removed her hands. “The young man had brown hair and almost purple eyes. He also dressed in the uniform of a student from the master dojo on the Isle of Armour. As for the girl, she had blonde hair and...”

“Red eyes?” Rena asked hastily. Magnolia nodded in response. “Then, that means...!” Hope welled behind Rena's eyes. Assuming it was who she thought it was, then... “Thank you so much, professor Magnolia!” she said quickly. “I need to catch up with Rika-chan now!”

“Stay safe, dear,” Magnolia called out as Rena ran off west to catch up with Rika. “Such dedication to their friends,” she muttered to herself. “If it's that strong between all of them, they'd give Hop and Victor a run for their money.”

* * *

  
  


If Rika thought there was ever a time for dramatically dark clouds and light to medium rain, now would have been the most appropriate time. Instead, however, it was clear skies, shining sun, and kids laughing and playing.

That's just the weather for you.

The last time she recalled the rain was December of 1983. Six months after the fight for their lives against Miyo Takano. In fact, it was the night before Christmas.

Rika still remembered that morning on the 25th vividly. Most of it had to do with the fact that Christmas wasn't something celebrated often in Hinamizawa, considering it was a Christian based holiday in a village with a Shinto based religion. Still, Rika pitched the idea to her friends, and they were more than happy to go through with it.

The days leading up to it were honestly some of the most fun days she'd had in a long time. Then again, everything between June and then was new and fun. Yes, even almost getting her head lopped off by a truck. That one at least helped to recontextualise her own mortality.

During that time, however, she failed to notice how distant Hanyu was getting. By last September, she barely said anything unless spoken to directly.

Then came the 24th of December, Christmas Eve. Everything was all set up for a fun day; the plan was for everyone to meet up at the Maebara residence, share gifts, and just generally have a good time.

Rika, Satoko, and Hanyu had all said their 'good nights' to each other, and eagerly gone to sleep.

Then, when they woke up, Hanyu was gone.

Without a trace, without a note. It was as if some higher being had just decided Hanyu should not exist anymore.

Rika and Satoko looked everywhere for her, starting with the possibility that she had just gone on ahead to Keiichi's place.

There was no luck when they got there.

For a long time, they searched and searched and searched, and yet Hanyu was never found.

Deep in her heart, Rika couldn't help but feel like it was her fault. _She_ was the one who refused to give up on finding the perfect world. _She_ was the one who made Hanyu use her powers constantly. Perhaps... this was to be her punishment for taking Hanyu for granted?

Before she could ruminate on her self-guilt more, a sound akin to a stampede could be heard on the wind. Satochu, whom had been prodding at Rika's cheek for the past few minutes, turned around and prepared for a battle with another horde of Pokemon.

Then they were suddenly swept of their feet by Rena.

“Mii?!” Rika mewed out in shock. “R... Rena-san, what are you..?”

“No time. Got lead,” Rena said quickly. “Keiichi-kun and Satoko-chan might be up ahead.”

Rika's eyes widened in shock. “Really?! Are you sure?”

“Professor Magnolia. Told me of people that matched their appearances. Came through this way,” Rena continued. They had just passed into Route Six, paying no attention to the Team Yell grunts and their Silicobra.

Rika looked ahead at their path, and noticed the oncoming ladders. The less she said about the Pokemon in their way, the better.

“Rena-san, you can put me down,” Rika tried to say. “You won't be able to climb the ladders if you're holding me. I'm fine to...”

“Liar!”

Rika had to fight the urge to show her fear. She flinched, sure, but one look in to Rena's eyes alleviated the fear. That wasn't the yell of someone going off the deep end; that was the anger of a concerned friend, tired of someone she cares about not sharing her burden.

So, Rika decided to shut up, and watch Rena as she effectively bulldozed her way through all the wild Pokemon with her horde of Binacle, and effectively flip physics the bird by jumping up every ladder she ran across.

Fear Rena Ryuuguu when she find something cute, but tremble in terror if you happen to be in the way of her, her friends, and being happy.

* * *

  
  


Stow-on-Side was a very dusty place. Bede could honestly say he didn't like it very much.

At the top of the hill to the left of the stadium stood a large wall with a rather... tacky art piece on it. The only reason he stood before it right now was because, like always, he and Satoko were searching for Wishing Stars.

“So, why did Oleana-san want us to check here?” Satoko asked. “It's not like there are any places for falling rocks to hide here.”

“You got me,” Bede responded. “I'm also rather confused as to why she gave me the chairman's Copperajah. I can't exactly use it in battles.”

A tremor shook its way through town, and the two had to brace themselves until it passed. Cheers erupted from the stadium.

“Geez, things are getting intense over there,” Satoko muttered. “How rude of them, causing a lady to trip.”

“I'm pretty sure Hop's the one currently in battle right now,” Bede stated, as the two of them decided to head back into the towns main hub. “I'll not deny he's a talented trainer, but he thinks too highly of his status as the champions little brother.”

“You made that quite apparent back outside Motostoke,” Satoko pointed out. “Don't you think you were a little harsh, though? You really didn't have to say he was 'dragging the champions name through the mud'.”

Bede wanted to retort, but found the words died in his throat. “I... you're right, it was harsh,” he conceded, as they came to a halt at the top of the stairs. “I just... can't express myself well to those who have it so... easy, I guess?”

“It's fine,” Satoko said. “You just make sure you apologise to him next chance you get, alright?”

Bede allowed himself a small smile. He recalled a time where he was so much more bitter, where he would lash out at just about anything.

When Rose took him in, things got... manageable, at the very least. Then, after the first gym battle, Rose and Oleana had put him in charge of looking after Satoko.

She put on a brave front, to be sure, but Bede was more than familiar with the sorts of masks people like them wear. Those were eyes that hid a heavy trauma that he could only hope to understand.

As time went on, he found he much liked her company. Sure, there was the ever looming fact that, once they found one of her missing friends, that would be where they part ways, but...

Another tremor from the stadium hit. Satoko lost her balance...

and began to fall down the stairs.

Panic filled Bede's mind. He'd try to reach, but she was already too far. The part of his mind that remained rational, though, reached a solution.

“Hattrem!” he called, throwing a pokeball down the stairs and calling his partner out. “Use Psychic! Slow her fall!”

“Trem!” Hattrem shouted back, letting the powers of ESP flow through the air. Psychic wasn't an attack often used for its utility, but a good trainer could do the equivalent of plastic surgery with a mallet, given enough training.

Satoko's fall slowed. Not by a lot, but enough for Bede to grab her hand.

Both let out a sigh of relief. “Are you alright, Satoko?” Bede asked.

“S...somehow,” Satoko replied, voice shaking somewhat fiercely. She tried to reorient herself, yet found her legs gave out.

Bede picked her up bridal style, both blushing all the way. “Here... I'll get you to the nearest seat,” he said quietly.

“Th... thanks,” Satoko replied.

* * *

  
  


In the distance, a figure cloaked in shadows watched what had unfolded.

“Bede,” the person muttered darkly. “You really think you have a right to this sort of thing?”

The pokeball in their hand opened, and a large ghost-type Pokemon emerged. “Dusknoir, use Shadow Ball on that wall. Make it as inconspicuous and damaging as you can.”

Dusknoir nodded, and fired a small, almost invisible, Shadow Ball.

The Pokemon was returned to the pokeball, and the figure sneered at the trainer in the distance.

* * *

  
  


Satoko took a long drink from her bottle of water.

“Feeling a bit better?” Bede asked.

“A bit,” Satoko replied. “That just... took more out of me than I expected.”

“I'll say. While most people do go into a bit of shock after something like that, I don't think I've ever seem someone freeze up like you did.”

“Yeah, it's...” Satoko paused. “Whenever I think about falling, I... remember how Nii-nii and I lost our parents.”

Bede felt his breath hitch. How was he suppose to respond to that without dragging forward bad memories? Bede weighed his options between 'ask about her parents' and 'ask about this Nii-nii'.

“Nii-nii?” He decided that one might carry less weight.

Little did the poor boy know that it was technically a lose-lose situation.

Satoko nodded. “My older brother, hence 'Nii-nii'. He was... he was strong. But, even the strongest people can't do everything alone. He... disappeared a long time ago, because I was...”

“A load of hogwash!” someone foreign yet inherently familiar shouted. The two turned their attention back to the stairs, to see a slightly older boy in a yellow karate gi with brown hair and purple eyes. “I may have never met the guy, but Satoshi wouldn't abandon you because you relied on him! Of that, I give my word!”

“You're kidding...” Satoko muttered, tears beginning to well in her eyes. “K... Kei...”

The boy gave a confident grin. “That's right! If you can trust anything, then trust the words of Keiichi Maebara!”

“Kei...ichi,” Bede muttered, rolling the name through his mouth. It was definitely the same sort of foreign that Satoko's was, and if he was talking about something she knew, then...

True to expectations, Satoko practically jumped to her feet, shaky though they were, and ran to embrace the boy.

“Geez, you'd think it'd been a lifetime, huh?” Keiichi muttered fondly, as he gently pat Satoko's head. Then, he turned his attention to Bede. “Yo. You've been looking after Satoko, right?” he asked. “Thanks for that.”

“Oh! It's... it's not problem,” he replied. “It was Keiichi, right? I'm Bede.”

“Bede, huh? Good to meet you,” Keiichi gave him a quick thumbs up, as Satoko finally let go of him. “Feeling a bit better there, Satoko?”

“Somewhat, now,” she replied. “Seriously, Keiichi-san, where have you been? Don't you know...”

“It's rude to leave a lady alone?” Keiichi finished. “Well, I've been quite literally stuck on an island, so take from that what you will.”

“Here's hoping you didn't personify a pokeball while you were there,” Bede muttered to himself, not realising the others heard him.

Bede blushed as he saw Keiichi's grin. “Satoko, I'm liking your new boyfriend more and more,” he said teasingly.

This naturally caused both Satoko and Bede to blush intensely.

This lead to the natural conclusion of the two of them chasing Keiichi around the open area, fervently denying his statement as he laughed.

For that brief period of time, the three of them had all but put aside their problems, and basically gone back to the simpler times of simply being kids.

Then, another tremor, a small explosion, and the trio froze as the wall came falling down.

* * *

  
  


Rena finally came to a stop at the entrance to Stow-on-Side, and let out a few heavy breaths.

“Rena-san, you overexerted yourself,” Rika told her, finally back on her own feet. “I know you're eager about this, but you still need to take care of yourself.”

Rena continued to pant heavily, something Rika noticed sounded a lot like her 'mii' sound. “But... if we didn't hurry... than who's to say we wouldn't miss them?” she wheezed out. “So... tired...”

“Rena-san, you only have yourself to blame for that,” Rika chastised. “And that's not to mention the amount of fighting you made your Binacles do.”

A tremor shook its way through town like a cowboy in an old western movie. A huge cloud of dust was kicked up on the far side of Stow-on-Side.

“What... just happened?” Rena asked.

“I don't know,” Rika answered, “but I...”

Then, a scream pierced the air. A loud scream from what they assumed was a girl around Rika's age. A loud, familiar scream.

Dread coursed through Rika's veins once again. A cold, all too familiar dread, that put her in mind of several past timelines.

“Satoko!” she called out, breaking into the fastest sprint she could. Rena tried to ignore her sore muscles and keep up, yet fell a few steps behind.

A crowd had gathered at the base of the stairs. Desperately, Rika forced her way through, as a small part of her mind wondered why the heck no one seemed to be going to help.

As she tried to ascend, though, someone grabbed her wrist. “Rika, it's dangerous up there!” the voice of Sonia shouted. “They're saying the wall up there collapsed.”

“...t go,” Rika muttered. When Sonia refused to, most on account of not quite hearing, she shot the older woman a glare that could send ghosts packing. “I said, _let go_.”

Sonia released her grip, mostly out of fear, and Rika continued her climb. Thinking back, she was somewhat certain she saw Rena push past Hop and Victor, but frankly, she didn't care at that point.

When she reached the top, she came to a halt when she noticed the inexcusably large pile of rocks.

A thought of dread welled in her mind. Was Satoko under all of _that_?

“No... Please, no...” Rika muttered, tears beginning to build in her eyes. “Not like... not like this... Satoko...”

Then the larger pile began to shift slightly. A Roar sounded, and a large elephant the colour of copper stood upright, underneath which was two figures Rika instantly recognised.

“Keiichi-san! Satoko!” she called, running towards them.

Keiichi Maebara coughed up a bit of dust as he cradled Satoko. “R... Rika?” he asked drily. “Is that you?” Recollection seemed to catch up to him, as horror spread across his face. “Shit, Bede! Bede can you hear me?!”

Fear once again caught hold of her heart. Bede was caught in this too? The elephant, a Copperajah if she recalled correctly, was frantically moved large stones out of the way.

Adrenalin took over her thoughts, as she weighed her next course of action. Strange, she found, that she could think so analytically at this point.

As Rena finally caught up and pieced together what happened, Rika made her choice. Satoko had passed out, but she was safe with Keiichi at the moment.

“Rika-chan, look!” Rena called, pointing towards one particular pile of rocks. There, Rika noticed an arm protruding from the mound.

Rika and Rena shared a look, nodded, then moved to try and remove what boulders they could.

Most of the stones were easy enough to move between the two of them, and they were able to at least confirm that Bede was still alive under there.

There was, however, one rather large boulder that had his legs pinned down. Rika tried to move it, yet only ended up with torn skin on her palms.

“Make way, guys!” Keiichi suddenly called. A pokeball was thrown, from which a small grey bear emerged. “Kubfu, use Rock Smash!”

Kubfu let out a cry, before striking the boulder dead on, shattering it completely.

Rena knelt down at Bede's side, checking his pulse. “He's still alive,” she stated as calmly as she could, “but we need to get him help quickly.”

“I'm pretty sure the Pokemon Centre can handle human emergencies,” Keiichi stated. “Rika, can you carry Satoko while Rena and I...”

“I understand,” Rika responded quickly. Satoko was passed to her, and Rika found a strange sense of comfort in holding her friend again.

Keiichi and Rena slung one of Bede's arms over their shoulders each. It wasn't the best way to carry him, but as things stood, the other options weren't any better.

As they got to the bottom of the stairs, Rika noticed that the crowd hadn't parted in the slightest. In fact, it seemed more like the crowd had thickened considerably, with no interest in going their own way.

Rika took a deep breath. If the people here were going to be that way, then...

“ **MOVE**!” she shouted. No, to called what came from the throat of Rika Furude 'shouting' would not be doing the sound justice. 'Bellowed' wouldn't quite be right, either, as that implies a sort of unemotive authority.

No. The best was to define the sound was 'a furious decree from an angry god'.

Even the daftest of people knew to obey when a voice like that sounded at them.

They pressed on, ignoring the stunned looks and cameras looking their way. A hand lightly gripped her shoulder, and she turned to glare at the owner.

Victor. At any other time, she might have felt some sort of relief in seeing him. Right now, though, positively seething with an unkempt hatred, all she could manage to do to remain polite to him was shrug his hand off.

Besides, there was something about the look in his eyes she didn't like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, keeping track of ages in Higurashi is tough. There's no real 'concrete' number for any of them.  
> Some mediums put Keiichi, Mion, and Rena (the older of the group) at around 17-ish, others put them around 14, and the manga decided to make them freaking 1x, like a damn cop out.  
> For this, at the very least, I'm just ageing them up by one year from what the Fandom wiki says (Keiichi, Mion and Rena at 14, and Rika and Satoko at 11). At least that's easier to track.  
> And so, two becomes four, just as tragedy strikes.  
> Let us press onward.


	6. For You, My Dear

Satoko Houjou woke with a splitting headache. The first thing she noticed was the fact that she was now in a bed.

When did she...

Then recollection hit her like a truck. The stairs, the art piece, the landslide...

Keiichi and Bede.

Satoko sat up quickly, immediately regretting that haste as the world began to spin too fast for her.

“Satoko!” a familiar voice called as she felt herself being supported by someone. She turned to her right, and saw...

“...Rika?” Satoko asked, as if not believing her eyes. “Rika, is that... is that you?”

Rika Furude, with a Pichu on her shoulder, and bandaged up hands, gave a warm smile. “It is, Satoko. I'm right here, as I should be.” Then, as if to prove a point, she gave her biggest smile possible. “Nii-pah!”

Satoko was quick to embrace her long-time friend, muffling small sobs into Rika's shoulder. The Pichu gently pat her on the head, in an attempt to calm her.

“Rika, what happened to Bede and Keiichi?” Satoko asked. “Were they...”

“They're both fine, Satoko,” Rika answered. “Bede-san's in rough condition, but his life isn't in danger. He gave his all to protect you and Keiichi.”

Satoko breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you know where they are?”

“Keiichi's in the main lobby with Rena-san, and Bede...”

“Over here,” the youth in question said from the next bed over. There, Bede was laid back, both legs propped up in casts, and quite a few bandages wrapped around his body. It'd be rather comical looking, like something out of an anime, if it wasn't for the occasional bloodstain here and there. “And let me just say, this doesn't hurt as much as it looks.”

“Bede-san,” Rika started, “you only say that because you're still high on painkillers.”

Bede raised a hand to argue, yet paused, and put it back down. “Fair point. Pretty sure my brain's also playing catch up right now.” He turned his gaze over to Satoko briefly. “Still, I'm relieved you're alright.”

Satoko slowly got off the bed, making sure she didn't accidentally lose balance. “Why?” she asked. “Why didn't you try to protect yourself?”

Bede gave a dry chuckle. “Honestly? Looking after myself was the last thing on my mind at that point. It was between me or you and your friend, and what can I say? Sometimes, a guy just has to play the hero.”

Rika gave a smile, and pat Bede on the head. “Being a hero doesn't exclude looking after yourself, Bede-san,” Rika said. “The sorts of heroes willing to sacrifice themselves for others are also the ones who leave the most broken hearts.”

Bede and Satoko were both stunned silent by the sudden philosophical nature of Rika.

“Well said, young lady,” someone said from the doorway. “Although, it's quite surprising to hear it from someone so young.”

Standing in the doorway was a well dressed man with a slightly dark complexion, black hair in (what Rika would call) an odd style that seemed like it had a cowlick draped over his right side. Rika also noted his kind, almost fatherly expression. She could have sworn she'd seen him at some point, though.

“Mr Chairman,” Satoko stated. Well, that answered that, then.

“Satoko, it's good to see you're alright,” Chairman Rose said. “You as well, Bede. Lastly, you must be... Rika Furude, correct?”

“You know me, sir?”

Rose gave a warm smile. “Satoko has told me about you and the rest of your friends. That, and I already met with the two in the lobby. For doing what you did to help Bede, you have my thanks.”

“Oh! It's no problem, sir,” Rika responded, flustered. “We just did what any person would do.” ' _At least, what any decent person would do,_ ' she added in her head. It concerned her greatly just how many people then seemed unworried about what had happened.

“All the same, you have my thanks,” Rose stated. Then, his expression turned dark. “I have some... rather sensitive things I need to speak with Bede about, so...”

“I understand, sir,” Rika stated. “Satoko and I will head down to the lobby to see Keiichi and Rena-san, then.” They bowed politely, and took their leave.

Satoko paused at the door. “Bede-san,” she said, “please get well soon.”

As she left, Bede couldn't help but scratch his cheek bashfully, as Rose let out a small chuckle. “She really has taken a liking to you,” Rose stated. “I knew putting you two together would go a long way.”

“Sir, please. You're embarrassing me,” Bede said shyly. Before long, though, the air turned sombre. “I'm guessing what you wanted to talk about has to do with the Gym Challenge?”

“Among other topics, yes,” Rose admitted. “Bede, I trust you understand that in your condition...”

“... I won't be able to continue the challenge,” Bede finished. “I had a feeling that'd be the case. If anything, I was prepared for it when I came to.”

Rose looked mildly relieved, yet his sombre look remained. “I'm... afraid there's more,” he said, producing a small plastic bag filled with what sounded like metal shards. Through the bag, Bede could make out the colours blue, white, and red. “These were recovered from the initial cleanup of the site. I'm... sorry.”

Shock filled Bede's heart. He turned to his bedside, where he knew the nurse had left his pokeballs, and counted only two of his initial four. “I... I see,” was all he could manage to say. “Do... do you know...”

“The technicians already confirmed it,” Rose stated. “The ones that were in these two were Duosion and Gothorita.” Rose gently placed the bag on the table. “I'll... give you some space. If you need me, please give me a yell.”

Rose left the room, and Bede let his head fall back into the pillow.

Perhaps the painkillers were starting to wear off, because right now, everything was starting to hurt.

* * *

  
  


Pokemon Centres were deceptively big. Most people only ever used the main lobby, where the nurses healed the trainers Pokemon and goods were sold, so not many people got to see the hospital side of them.

Satoko and Rika walked down the hall in sombre silence. “I... I hope Bede's going to be okay,” Satoko stated, attempting to kill the silence.

Rika, though, was not of the same mind. “I doubt it,” she said quietly. “That bag the chairman was holding, it was full of pokeball shards.”

Satoko clenched her jaw. It didn't take a lot to figure out the meaning behind that, but she still wanted to hold some shard of optimism.

When they entered the lobby, the two were practically pounced upon by Rena and Keiichi. The former of which immediately held Satoko in a tight embrace, not unlike when she was in 'taking 'em home' mode.

“Thank god you're alright, Satoko-chan,” Rena muttered. It was quite evident that she had spent the good part of her time here fretting like a mother hen. Satoko was quick to return the hug.

“How's Bede doing?” Keiichi asked Rika.

“He's awake, and his life's not in danger,” Rika answered. “But, his heart will no doubt be in a dark place for a while.”

Keiichi allowed his expression to go sour. “Damn it. If I'd seen that coming, then...”

“There was no way anyone could have predicted it, Keiichi Maebara,” Rika said lowly, in a voice a few octaves lower. “This incident... call it a hunch, but there's more to it than an accident, I'm sure of it.”

“You too, huh?” Keiichi replied in a similarly quiet voice. “But, what can we do to investigate?”

“I do not know,” Rika admitted. “For now, we must only focus on what we can do.”

Keiichi nodded in agreement. “That would be to find Mion and Shion, right?” he asked. “I feel rather lousy leaving Bede to hang, though.”

“Then please, allow us to handle that part,” the voice of a much older woman interjected. The four from Hinamizawa looked to the speaker, and three of them froze in shock.

Long blonde hair, a tall slender figure, and a fashion sense that was adorned with a long coat. No matter how they looked at this woman, they just couldn't help but think she was Miyo Takano.

Well, at least the ring earrings were something the Miyo they knew didn't have.

“Oleana-san!” Satoko exclaimed, being the only one unphased by the woman. “Everyone, this is Oleana, the secretary to Rose-san.”

“Thank you, Satoko,” Oleana responded kindly. “You do not have to worry, Satoko already told me about my similarities to this 'Miyo' you know. I've already had my feelings hurt by that.”

Rika, Rena, and Keiichi all shared a nervous, guilty smile. “Still, we are sorry about it,” Rika said politely. “The resemblance is just so... uncanny, sir.”

“So I've heard. Let's see... If I were to guess, you would be Rika, right?” Oleana asked, to which Rika confirmed. “Which means you two are... Keiichi and Rena, correct?”

“You were able to figure that out? Were you?” Rena asked.

“Of course. Satoko's told me quite a bit about you kids.”

“Well, on behalf of all of us,” Rika began, giving a polite bow. “Thank you for looking after our friend.”

“But, what did you mean when you said you'd 'handle that part'?” Keiichi asked.

“We at Marco Cosmos already launched an investigation into the incident, is what I meant,” Oleana answered. “We've also called in the help of a psychic detective, in the case that there was deliberate sabotage going on.”

“Were you able to find out anything, Oleana-san?” Satoko asked.

Oleana shook her head. “Nothing concrete at the moment. The detective is working quite rigorously to find what he can, and aside from that, there's only baseless conjecture and the knee-jerk reaction of one of the other gym challengers.”

“A knee-jerk reaction, sir?”

“Yes. Challenger Hop, specifically, resigned from the Gym Challenge, feeling that he was the one responsible for the incident.”

Rika reacted in shock, and found herself at a loss of words. “Wha? But... how... why?!” Yeah, like that.

Oleana shook her head. “I can't claim what's going through his head. From what I've been able to gather, he feels responsible because of all the small tremors caused during his fight with gym leader Bea.”

Rika personally couldn't imagine a scenario where Hop was responsible for this. Then again, Rika was still too use to knowing all the cards in the temporal deck. “Oleana-san, do you know where he is right now?”

“Probably still in town somewhere,” she answered. “Why do you want to...”

Rika did not wait around for Oleana's question, and ran out of the Pokemon Centre.

* * *

  
  


Rika exited the building, then looked left and right. She felt like she didn't have time to explain to the others this dreadful feeling she had; Rika just felt that Hop, as he might be feeling right now, might end up doing something incredibly dangerous and stupid.

Then, not far from the centre, she spotted him, staring off into the horizon with a sombre look on his face.

Rika let out a sigh of relief, and slowly began to approach him. “Good day, Hop-san,” she said kindly, though the boy still flinched.

“Ah. Rika, hey,” Hop said sadly. “Sorry. Now's just... not a good time.”

' _Oh god, he looks like a kicked puppy,_ ' Rika thought. “I know. I heard from Oleana-san that you resigned from the Gym Challenge.”

“Yeah. I just...” Hop hesitated significantly.

“It's not your fault, you know,” Rika stated plainly. “In fact, I'm fairly certain no one believes it was. If that wall was going to fall because of a battle, it would have happened a long time ago.”

“But we don't know that for sure,” he said almost desperately. “I... I can't continue the Gym Challenge with that hanging over my head.”

“What about Leon and Victor?” Rika asked. “Have you told them?” Judging by Hop's shameful looking reaction, she guessed no. Rika let out a sigh. “I get the feeling I won't be able to talk you out of your mood, sir?”

“Sorry, Rika. I know you want to help, but...” Hop shook his head. “The resignation is already official, anyway. Can't turn back now.”

Rika gave a small hum. “Then, how about travelling with us?” she offered, catching Hop off guard. “Some say that the best way to come to terms with an event is a journey of self-discovery, sir.”

Hop looked surprised at the offer. No, more than that, shocked. “But... what if I get you or your friends hurt?”

Then, Rika laughed. Not a girly, happy laugh, that would have sounded as if she weren't taking him seriously, but a bitter, shadow one. “Don't kid yourself, Hop,” she said darkly. “After the hells we've been through, and the trials we've experienced, you're a few hundred years too early to be able to kill even one of us.”

If Hop wasn't shocked before, he was now. “R... Rika? Are you...”

The moment he looked into her eyes, a nameless fear washed over him. Those weren't the eyes of a girl slightly older than him; they were eyes that had seen the darkest abyss, had witnessed death upon death upon death. They were the eyes of one who had, at some point, been prepared to taste defeat.

“You give yourself far too much credit,” she continued. “Fate is a stubborn mistress, no matter what any of us did, one way or another, that wall was bound to fall today. What matters now, Hop, is if you can look at it objectively or not. Every event has a certain amount of key pieces that go into them, and what you need to learn, Hop, is that you're not always factored into the equation.”

“What... do you mean?” Hop asked, getting increasingly more scared of the small girl beside him.

“Must I spell it out for you? Very well then.” Rika let out a sigh, then continued. “Keiichi Maebara told me of the events that took place while we waited for Satoko to wake. Someone else attacked that wall, possibly in order to eliminate or, as I'd think it, kill Bede. Your battle merely happened to coincide with it, or perhaps the perpetrator accounted for it, in hope that it might be used to shift the blame.”

Hop was at a loss of words. “How... how do you reckon?”

Rika turned her attention to the horizon before she continued. “Where my friends and I are from, Hinamizawa, has a story about our patron deity. A story about 'the Curse of Oyashiro-sama'. It all began six years ago, when a man was murdered, and one of the murderers got away, never to be seen again. Thus began an almost yearly tradition that coincided with Watanagashi, where someone would die, and someone would vanish -demoned away, as we called it-. It was only last year that we solved that case, and caught the one using the legend of Oyashiro-sama to their advantage. It is my gut feeling that your scenario is the same.”

Hop looked at her in shock. “How... how much?” he asked. “How much suffering have you lived through?”

Rika gave a dark chuckle. “How bold of you, assuming I lived through it all.” A cloud passed over the sun, covering the world in a brief darkness. There, Hop noticed something most unnerving once more. An ominous red glow to her eyes. “I have lived many lifetimes, and watched many die. What mattered then for me, and now for you, is how you approach moving forward.”

Hop was unsure how to tackle this conversation further. The cloud finished its pass over the sun, just as the Pokemon Centre's door opened. “Oi! Rika-chan!” Rena called out. “Oleana-san's about to give the detective a call!”

The moment Hop had broken eye contact, a spell was broken. When he looked back at Rika, she looked more like her normal self than before. No, something else bugged him about it. It was like the 'Rika in the shadows' was more real than the 'Rika in the light'.

“Hop-san,” Rika said, drawing him from his thoughts. “Won't you come with us?”

Well, at this point, Hop figured there'd be nothing more to lose.

* * *

  
  


From the far side of town, by the pathway to the Glimwood Tangle, a figure stood in the shade of the treeline and cursed silently to himself.

“Damn it, it wasn't suppose to work out like this,” he muttered. “The shock of that incident was suppose to throw her into emotional delirium. Did I misjudge her strength?” He shook his head. “No matter, I guess. Just means I'll need to try a different approach. She might think differently of me when I become champion.”

The figure scratched at an itch that was developing on the side of his neck. “It wasn't part of the plan, but Hop stepping down from the challenge was certainly a small blessing.”

* * *

  
  


Rika and Hop entered the Pokemon Centre, where the rest of the 'Hinamizawa gang' was waiting on them.

“Took your time, huh?” Keiichi shouted. “Come on, call's about to start.”

“We'll be right there,” Rika responded, before sighing quietly to herself. “Glad at least someone is managing to keep positive.”

Everyone huddled around Oleana, whose phone floated a foot away from her (granted, this was also after Hop had been formally introduced to Keiichi and Satoko).

Then the call connected.

“Good day, miss Oleana,” the man on the other end, blonde, and wearing glasses and a top hat, answered. “I trust you're calling for the hourly checkup?”

“That I am,” Oleana replied professionally. “Is there anything...”

“Hold on, what?” Keiichi shouted. “Avery? Is that you?!”

The man reacted in surprise. “Keiichi? You're involved in this as well? Why are I not that surprised about it.”

“Keiichi-kun, you know this guy? Do you?” Rena asked.

“Yeah. This guy was my rival during the week I was training on the Isle of Armour,” Keiichi explained. “He's an alright guy, if you look past how he makes Pokemon attack puns every other sentence.”

“Harsh, but I had the Foresight to see that coming,” Avery responded, as if purposely proving the point.

“Introductions aside,” Oleana stated loudly, “do you have anything to report, Avery?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Avery said, sounding rather smug, “and it's exactly as everyone predicted. This was the work of a third party, not an accident.” He adjusted his camera view, showing a large stone slab that had been meticulously reconstructed. “Kadabra and I have put together what we believe is 'point Zero' of this incident, where the destruction began. With some input from the minor league Gym Leader Allister, we've confirmed that this damage was caused by a small, high density Shadow Ball.”

“So it was with malice of forethought, then,” Oleana muttered. “If it was small enough, then it's no surprise that Keiichi's testimony didn't account for it.”

“But what would they have been after?” Satoko asked. “I can't imagine this was all to do with a tacky wall painting that hid a giant statue of some guys and their dogs.”

“No. I do not believe their goal was to reveal ancient history,” Avery answered. “I believe this was, as would be written in the reports, attempted murder. Specifically, on Bede.”

“Eliminating the competition, then?” Oleana muttered. “Anything else to report?”

“Not in regards to the case, but I do have something I wish to pass on to Keiichi and his friends,” Avery answered.

“Very well, then. You may proceed.”

Oleana stepped away from the phone, allowing Rika and company to crowd closer together.

“So, what's up, Ave?” Keiichi asked. “Want to catch up on old time already? Or did Sensei have something to say?”

“Well, it is a message, but not from Master Mustard,” Avery replied, before clearing his throat. “'A Sunflower Grassland, in the frozen tundra where legends lie. A Lavender Grassland, in the metropolis where heroes learn to fly.'”

A pregnant silence fell. “Avery, why are you reciting your poetry to us?” Keiichi asked.

“It's not 'poetry', you uncouth fool, it's a prophecy,” Avery shot back. “I am merely giving you a guiding hand for your journey.”

“Do prophecies even work?” Satoko asked. “Are they just professional guesswork?”

“Now see here, young lady!” Avery yelled suddenly. “My Future Sight has a 100% accuracy! The difference between it and 'guesswork' are the results, and they speak for themselves!”

Everyone backed away slightly as the phone suddenly hung up. “Well, that was something,” Keiichi muttered. “So, what should we do about that?”

“I say we work with it, sir,” Rika answered. “It's better than wandering blind. But, what did he mean by 'legends lie' and 'heroes fly'?”

“The Crown Tundra and Wyndon,” the voice of Bede said, catching everyone off guard as Rose brought him into the lobby in a wheelchair. “The frozen lands to the south, and the final stop of the Gym Challenge to the north.”

Satoko did everything she could to not jump Bede and wrap him in a hug. It wasn't enough, and she ended up doing it anyway.

“Bede-san, are you alright to be out and about?” Rena asked.

“I've already gotten cleared by the doctors here,” Bede muttered, trying to balance Satoko's weight. “They're planning to move my treatment up to Wyndon, where the hospitals are better equipped.”

“Well, that's nice to know, at least,” Keiichi said. “Still, how are we going to handle this? Do we split the gang up and search both areas?”

“With a felon on the loose? I reject the idea,” Rose said strongly. “Leave searching Wyndon to us at Marco Cosmos. You five will be able to handle the Tundra.”

“Wait, five?” Hop questioned. “I... I'm getting counted among this?”

“Why wouldn't you be?” Bede asked. “You've already been 'adopted' by one of these guys, haven't you?”

“But... but I...”

Bede let out an irritated sigh. “For the love of Arceus, hasn't one of you given him a pep talk yet?”

“Already took care of that, sir,” Rika stated, before turning back to Hop. “Hop-san, remember what Avery-san said? All the evidence points elsewhere.”

“Yeah, but still... I just can't help but feel like I... Like I wished this on him.”

This time, Bede felt his palm hit his forehead. “In the name of all that is holy by the grace of Mew, man, pull your head in!”

Keiichi mused for a moment, before an idea struck him. “Rena, you wouldn't happen to have 'that', would you?”

“That?” Rena asked, before the finally connected the dots and smiled. “Oh, I've got a few of 'that', Keiichi-kun.”

The two shared a mischievous grin. “In that case...” Keiichi muttered, before approaching Hop from behind and holding him in a classic full nelson.

“Hey, what are you...” Hop asked, before he saw Rena approaching him with a sinister aura about her.

“If you're so keen on being 'guilty', Hop,” Keiichi stated, “then prepare to experience on of our patented Punishment Games!”

* * *

  
  


As the day finally came to a close, Rika and company had boarded the last train in Hammerlocke that was due for the Crown Tundra. Rose and Bede had left for Wyndon via Corviknight Taxi, while Oleana had remained in Stow-on-Side to continue the investigation.

Hop was rather bewildered at the moment. As he had learnt, the patented 'Punishment Game' Keiichi had told him about involved scribbles and doodles on his face with a marker. From what he could see of his own reflection (as well as the quick selfie he took to look at it), they had written 'Not Guilty' on his forehead, and then adorned his cheeks with hearts and stars.

It was... weird, to say the least. Yet at the same time, kind of nice.

So, as they sat on this train that would reach its destination by morning, the five of them played a variety of card games.

“Old Geezer?” Hop questioned after the others explained which one they'd be playing next. “Is that anything like Old Maid?”

“Technically speaking, they're exactly alike, sir,” Rika answered. “The only real difference is that no cards are taken out of the deck.”

“Really? Then, how do you decide winners and losers in it?”

Then, all four of them grinned something sinister.

“Don't you see, Hop-san?” Satoko started.

“That's entirely the point,” Rena added.

“When the game is set up like this...” Keiichi continued.

“Then there's no need for losers,” Rika finished.

Hop could understand the philosophy behind it, but did they have to spell it out in such a sinister way?

The game quickly unfolded, and even though he could see the logic in 'no losers', that didn't mean there wasn't a race to not be the 'last winner'.

In fact, that was part of what made it so intense. The simple mindset change of 'nothing to lose' made it really easy to take a simple thing seriously.

“So, was anyone able to figure out that guys prophecy?” Hop asked. “They were rather on the cryptic side, weren't they?”

“They were,” Rika admitted as she took a card from Keiichi, followed by Satoko taking a card from her, “but I think I've got a few ideas, though I'm not sure about sharing some of them until we know for certain, sir.”

“You mean the flower parts, right?” Rena asked in confirmation, taking a card from Satoko, then getting one taken by Hop.

“So you know for certain what the grasslands refer to?” Hop questioned.

“Almost guaranteed that it's about Mion and Shion,” Keiichi stated, taking a card from Hop and putting a pair on the table between them all. “They're twins with green hair, so it would only be natural that they were the 'grassland' part, although it's anyone's guess which is where.”

The game continued in silence, with only sound of the train to keep them company. That was, until...

“First win!” Satoko stated, slamming her last two cards on the table.

“Dah!” Keiichi almost shouted. “Of course Satoko would pull off the win!”

Satoko let off a haughty laugh, the kind that would not have been out of place in an Otome game.

“I guess that means we abide by Satoko's Punishment Game, then,” Rena said calmly, clearly unphased.

“So _that's_ the trick to it, then?” Hop realised. “You don't have 'losers', but you do have 'greater winners'?”

“It helps give us an incentive to try, sir,” Rika replied. “That's why we have the Punishment Games.”

“Indeed, young peon!” Sakoto stated eagerly. “Now, as your punishment...”

To Hop's surprise, the haughty air she had put up died down quickly.

“I... want us to try singing 'that song' again,” she finished shyly.

“'That song'?” Hop asked. “Sorry, I'm a little lost here.”

“Ah, don't worry about it,” Keiichi said. “It's more a thing for us from Hinamizawa.”

“It was a song we wrote over a year ago, sir. From when we finally triumphed over what fate had written for us,” Rika explained. “We each wrote our own versions of it first, before work-shopping a group version. It was always in an incomplete state, however.”

Hop tilted his head. “It's because we never found Nii-nii,” Satoko answered sadly. “We had a part for him, for when he finally came home, but...”

It was then that Hop finally came to terms with something. Their lives were _far_ more messed up than his was right now. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Hop had started to think he had it worst off, with the threat of being accused of accidental manslaughter. Yet, here these four were, taken from their home, missing family members and friends, beaten into the ground so hard that one of them can make herself look and sound like a war veteran. And here they were, using what was basically a King Game (that is, the one designated 'King' could issue an irrefutable command to the other players) to get everyone together in a comfort song.

Perhaps, he realised, what they had that he didn't was people to turn to and open up to. They had it far worse than him, yet they seemed to remain so happy despite it simply because they had each other.

Hop now felt his mind wander to Victor, Leon, and Sonia. Sonia had been there trying to talk him out of handing his badges in, and while Leon was who knows where in Galar, he was no doubt fretting like no tomorrow.

The only one that had a question mark hovering over them was Victor. He had been there at the time -heck, the two of them had a brief battle before Hop took on the gym- but after the incident happened, he couldn't find hide nor hair of his albino friend. What was he thinking about at this time? Did he think Hop guilty or innocent? Honestly, Hop could really do with Victor's shoulder to lean on.

As he was deep in thought, the main conversation continued. “I know it's asking too much for the version we dreamt of,” Satoko said, “but... even just one version, to help ease our nerves...”

Rika pat Satoko on the head. “I understand, Satoko,” she said, smiling warmly. “I'll take point for this one, then. Keiichi?”

“Way ahead of you, Rika,” Keiichi stated, pulling out his Rotom Phone. “It's actually kinda amazing what these things can do. I've basically got an entire piano in this guy.”

The Rotom Phone hovered above the table, projecting a series of piano keys onto the surface.

“And a one, a two,” Keiichi muttered, “a one, two, three...”

( **Track Set: Dear You (original)** )

A faint melody carried through the air, before Rika began to sing.

“Anata wa ima doko de nani wo shite imasu ka? ( _Where are you right now, what are you doing?_ )

Kono sora no tsuzuku basho ni imasu ka? ( _Are you somewhere in this endless sky?_ )”

It was strange. When Hop closed his eyes to listen to the words, he found himself no longer on board that train. His heart had taken him to a rural village of some sorts, far more back-water than even Postwick.

“Ima made watashi no kokoro wo umete ita mono, ( _I realised for the first time,_ )

Ushinatte hajimete kizuita. ( _I've lost the things that have filled my heart till now._ )”

His heart saw a watermill, at which stood a girl with green hair kept in a pony tail. She waved towards him, or rather, past him, as he saw two familiar people run towards her from behind him.

Those two were unmistakably Keiichi and Rena. Then, was he seeing... Hinamizawa?

“Konna ni mo watashi wo sasaete kurete ita koto, ( _How much you supported me,_ )

Konna ni mo egao wo kureita koto. ( _How much you made me smile._ )

Further down this road, the three had met up with another trio. Two, he knew were Rika and Satoko, but the last one, a girl their age with lavender hair, violet eyes and... horns, was not one he knew.

But, the way Rika seemed to look at her... Hop wondered, was this song about her?

“Ushinatte shimatta daishou wa, ( _That I'd lost them,_ )

Totsumonaku ooki sugite. ( _Was too much to consider._ )

Torimodosou to hisshi ni ( _Even though I struggled so desperately,_ )

To wo nobashite mogaku kereo. ( _To reach out my hand and take them back._ )”

A series of images flashed over Hop's eyes. All of them were tragedy incarnate. Keiichi Maebara bashing in the heads of Rena and the green haired girl. The green haired girl mutilating the body of Satoko Houjou. Rika Furude _Cutting her own throat open and tearing out her jugular_. Rene Ryuuguu holding an entire school hostage.

And yet, his heart told him that out of all of them, Rika remembered it all.

Hop had to do his best not to break down then and there in tears.

“Maru de kaze no you ni surinukete todokisou de todokanai. ( _Like the wind they slipped through, looking as though they would reach me, but did not._ )”

( **Track end, feel free to get some tissues while you're at it** )

Then, Hop realised that Rika's voice had stopped. Opening his eyes, he realised that both Rika and Satoko had fallen asleep.

Keiichi let out a rather noticeable sniffle. “Hard to listen to the first time, yeah?” he asked Hop.

“That was... wow,” Hop muttered. “All those images I saw, where they...”

“If you saw them, Hop-san,” Rena spoke softly, “that means you've got an open heart.”

“Then, you know about... those?”

“Rika-chan doesn't talk much about it,” Rena said, “but we know of them. Those 'other Hinamizawas'.”

“It all started about three months before Hanyu vanished,” Keiichi continued, handing Rena a pack of tissues. “Which was also three months after the fight of our lives. It all started when Mion had this dream about watching Satoko die.”

The image flashed in Hop's mind. But, watching? As in from the third person?

“Then, it happened to Rena and myself. Next was Shion, and then Satoko. To say those were times of turmoil for us wouldn't be an understatement,” Keiichi added. “Honestly, if no one had brought it up at the time, then... I don't know what might have happened to us.”

“We started writing songs like that as a way to cope,” Rena continued. “Rika had originally been working on one for all of us together, including Satoshi-kun. But, after Hanyu-chan disappeared...”

Hop had a feeling he knew where this was going. “That's when she wrote that version, is it?” he asked. “God, I can't even begin to image what it was like.”

“There are times where we _wish_ we couldn't,” Keiichi stated, “but if it was like that, then we wouldn't be able to support each other.”

So, they hated what fate had done to them, but they'd choose having gone through it over not, just so that no one would feel alone? On paper, the concept made sense to Hop, but to actually see it in person was honestly mind-blowing for him.

“Keiichi-kun, Hop-san,” Rena spoke up. “I think we should get some sleep ourselves. It won't be until morning that we finally arrive.”

“Yeah, sounds like a good idea,” Keiichi agreed. He turned to look at Satoko, who slept quietly by his side, and smiled gently as he pat her head. “You rest well, okay, Satoko?”

After ten minutes, Hop was the only one left awake. A myriad of thoughts buzzed around in his head, and almost all of them pertained to the people he was with.

Right now, though, he felt he needed to do one last thing to end off the day.

As quietly as he could, Hop stood up and moved away from the group, all the while pulling his phone out and going through his contacts. Once he was far enough away, he selected Leon's number, and held the phone up to his ear.

It rang for a single second, max.

Hop opened his mouth to start talking, but Leon beat him to the punch loudly.

“Hop! Oh, thank Mew!” Leon shouted. “Are you alright? I heard about what happened in Stow-on. Where are you?!”

“Lee, calm down,” Hop said as loudly as he was willing to go (not too loud). “I'm fine, for liberal use of the word.” He said that last part in barely a whisper. “Sorry for not getting in touch about...”

“About the incident that wasn't your fault, or resigning from the challenge?” Leon questioned.

“Well... both,” Hop admitted. “I know everyone keeps saying it, but I don't think I could continue the challenge with that potentiality hanging over me.”

There was a pregnant silence on Leon's end, before he let out a sigh. “Well, it's a relief that you've at least thought it through,” he said. “Especially if you're using words as big as 'potentiality'.”

“Harsh, Lee.”

Leon had a small laugh. “Well, at least you're sounding a bit better than what I've been hearing. But again, where are you? Sonia and I have basically turned Stow-on-Side upside down, and we can't find you anywhere.”

“Ah, about that,” Hop said hesitantly. “Promise not to be mad, but I'm going to be travelling with Rika and her friends for a while.”

“Why would I be mad about that? That's taking positive action, right there,” Leon stated. “So, where are you heading then?”

“Well, you see,” Hop felt himself hesitate some more. “We're... kinda on a train to the Crown Tundra.”

“Du... What?!” Leon shouted. “I was expecting Circhester or Spikemuth, maybe even Wyndon. You know the Tundra's a dangerous place, right?”

“I know, Lee, but we've already talked with Chairman Rose, and he and Oleana agreed to searching there after they transfer Bede into the hospitals over there.”

Then, Leon let out a resigned sigh. “Of course Rose would offer that. He's far too kind for his own good sometimes,” he muttered. “Well, you must have a pretty good lead to be going there right this minute. Just... be careful, okay? There's been some rather unsettling news coming out of that area in the past few days.”

A small chill made its home in Hop's spine. “What do you mean?”

“A 'Nightmare Plague',” Leon said, sounding rather sinister. “There have been reports of a shadowy figure traversing the skies in that area, striking down the people of Freezington with dreadful nightmares.”

“Nightmares...” Hop muttered, feeling his gaze drift towards Rika and the others. “Well, thanks for the heads up, Lee. And, if you see Vic, could you pass on a message for me?”

“I'm guessing it's not the sort you could send to him yourself?”

“Yeah. Tell him...” Hop paused briefly. “Tell him I'm sorry I couldn't be a better rival.”

“You got it bud,” Leon said. “Well, I won't keep you much longer. Just... stay safe, yeah?”

“You got it, Lee.” Hop hung up at that point, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Guess things aren't going to get easy going forward, huh?” he muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> … I'm just gonna say it. Even after many years, I still can't listen to most versions of Dear You without tearing up a bit.  
> Still, I'm curious to know just how many saw this coming. I mostly just write as the ideas come, and then find the way they merge together. The ideas I have starting out are often quite different from what I put up at the end.  
> Next time: The Crown Tundra!


	7. Frozen Aeons, A Frigid Nightmare

A youth with blonde hair stood at the edge of Freezington, staring off at the bright red tree that loomed over the mountainous horizon. A dark feeling slumbered within his heart.

An old man, the mayor of Freezington (whom shall be referred to as Mayor), approached the youth. “You're still thinking of fighting it?” he asked. “You've barely a team to your name, lad, and this is a Legendary Pokemon we're talking about.”

“I know, sir,” he replied, “but I can't leave things like this. She's... she's all I have left.”

“You mean the girl, do you not?” Mayor asked. “I understand where you're coming from, but again, this is a legendary, a species of Pokemon that stands above the others. Besides, when was the last time you slept?”

“Sleep is what that thing wants,” the youth said. “I can only risk small naps in the Raid Lair. Anywhere else, and for any longer, and I might not wake up again.”

The sad thing was, it wouldn't be the first time he'd fallen into a wakeless sleep. It was only the miracle of ending up in a strange new world that allowed him to awaken sane of mind.

Yet, there was still that guilt that threatened to gnaw away at his sanity. Sins that could not be removed nor forgiven.

All he could do, was right by these suffering people.

“So, you'll be heading back into the Dynamax Adventures?” Mayor asked.

“If I can find Cresselia, then I can at least ward off these nightmares,” he said in response. “Otherwise, I can focus on building a team to fight that Pokemon.”

Mayor let out a small sigh. “I suppose I can't talk you out of it, can I, Sa... No, sorry. You said you didn't want to go by that name, didn't you?”

The youth nodded sadly. “I... I can't go by that name. Not yet. Not until I can look my sister in the eyes and say 'I'm home'.”

Mayor nodded his head in understanding. “Very well, I shall respect that wish. Just don't go dying out there. I'd hate for that friend of yours to wake to news that you're gone, Nii.”

* * *

  
  


Upon the Slipper Slope, where the train-line ended (yes, it was called that, and yes it was rather unimaginative), Rika and her party of five stepped out into the frozen wilderness.

All of them were very glad that, among their baggage, was several sets of warm clothing. Mostly, though, they were thankful to Rena for packing the most in that regard. Guess that's what happens when you have A: the biggest bag, B: the savviest spending brain, and C: the best muscle mass.

The snow crunched gently against the sole of Rika's boots. It was one of those many sounds that was every so cathartic.

At least, it would have been, were it not for the combination of gloomy, overcast weather, and bitter memories of 1983. Part of the reason Rika preferred summer over winter was because the PTSD of that June helped overshadow the Hanyu-shaped hole in her heart.

… God she needed to see a therapist.

“It's a nice place and all,” Keiichi muttered, “but why does the air feel so... dead?”

“I know what you mean, Keiichi-san,” Satoko said. “It's like the Pokemon are too afraid to come out.”

“It must be that nightmare plague Lee mentioned,” Hop offered, adjusting his scarf. “The other wildlife are probably too scared to come out and draw the perpetrators attention.”

“Do you know anything about it, Hop-san? Do you?” Rena asked.

“I've got a pretty good idea, actually.” Hop pulled out his phone. “There are many Pokemon out there that deal in nightmares, even waking ones.” Everyone suppressed a shiver at the idea. Particularly Rika. “But for such a wide area, it would have to be the work of a Legendary.”

“Legendary, sir?” Rika asked.

“An exceptionally rare species of Pokemon,” Hop explained. “So rare, in fact, that it's said that only one or two of them can exist at any given period of time. Or maybe they're just pants at breeding, I dunno.” That, at least, got a laugh out of people. “Other than that, they're also exceedingly powerful. A single Legendary can sweep an entire team with ease.”

“Fwooh, scary,” Keiichi muttered. “I really hope it's not the case here.”

“Well, don't jinx it just yet,” Hop laughed. “Anyway, the most likely candidate for our culp... attacker here,” he caught himself, “would be the Pitch-Black Pokemon Darkrai.”

“Ominous,” Satoko said. “Although, it really sounds like it's trying too hard with that name.”

“Not to mention it goes against its nature,” Hop continued. “Darkrai is a territorial Pokemon. It only attacks those that come for it, and it never harms anyone.”

“So, did someone in this neighbourhood piss one off?” Keiichi asked.

“There shouldn't even _be_ one here to begin with. Darkrai should only be in the Sinnoh region, on a small island called New Moon Island.”

“Then, did someone bring one here? Did they?” Rena questioned.

“Most likely,” Hop agreed. “Probably released it into the wild, and when it was trying to make its home, found the native life too threatening. But what sort of idiot releases a Legendary?”

“Let's not worry about that part, sir,” Rika said. “Sometimes, when there's a problem, finding out the 'why' should be left for last.”

That... wasn't a bad mindset. Sure, most times, finding the 'why-done-it' helps in the finds of solutions, but in a situation as straightforward as this, questions like 'why' could be put on the back-burner for a while.

“So, where should we start?” Keiichi wondered. “I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Freezington would be the best place for information?”

“No doubt about that. It should be just down that-a-way,” Hop said, pointing in a general direction.

As they began making their way forward, Rika froze at an all too familiar sound and feeling.

She froze mid stride, and heard a footstep not her own.

Rika pivotted quickly, fearing -or perhaps even hoping- she might see something.

Nothing. Not even a set of prints beside her own. Rika wasn't entirely sure if she should be heartbroken, disappointed, or terrified at the prospect.

“Rika-chan!” Rena called out. “You coming?”

“I'll be right there!” Rika called back. She looked back at the empty space. “Hanyu... I don't know if that was actually you, or if I've already been compromised. But, even if you're a dream or not, please... give me a sign that you're here.”

No reaction, nor did Rika have the time to wait around for one.

* * *

  
  


Freezington, as much as they could tell, was a dreadfully sombre place. There was not a single person walking around, and every Pokemon they caught a glimpse of seemed to cower away in fear.

“Waking nightmares?” Hop asked. “I'll admit, the possibility is there, but what brought that question up?”

“Just in case of some potentials, sir,” Rika answered vaguely.

Rena, however, wasn't convinced. “You saw something, didn't you?” she asked. “Something to make you question whether you're compromised or not.”

Rika nodded. “I thought I heard 'those footsteps',” she said grimly.

Hop was a little confused, but he could tell that was a bad thing by the reactions of the others. “You mean...” Keiichi questioned. “But we solved that mystery! Why would that...”

“Specifically because it's a nightmare,” Rika interjected. “I've already tried all the normal means of waking up, to no avail.”

“Then, you're not asleep?” Satoko asked. “Or... does that mean it's a strong dream? Are we all just figments of Rika's imagination?” She grasped her head in pain. “Ah, my brain hurts.”

“Even if this is all a dream right now, that doesn't mean we don't still have a fighting chance,” Hop said. “Some reports have stated that beating Darkrai in the dream does affect it in reality.”

“But we still can't be careless,” Rika stated. “Even if this is a dream, we should still tread as if this was reality. If we think we can do whatever we want, just because this isn't our reality, then it will only come back to bite us.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. “What about the possibility of a shared dream, then?” Satoko asked. “Just... spit-balling ideas right now.”

“I... would not be able to answer that,” Hop said. “Dreams are not really a delved into science.”

“Ah, tourists, are you?” an old man, the mayor of the village, asked. “I can't say you've come at a good time.”

“Nightmare plague, we know,” Keiichi responded. “There wouldn't happen to be a green haired girl around here, would there? Kinda the reason we're risking all this.”

“Ah, then you know her?” Mayor responded. “Yes, there is someone of that description here, but alas, she is one of the victims to the Darkrai on the loose.”

“No!” Satoko exclaimed. “How... how long?”

“She's been here a little over a week,” Mayor explained. “If this lasts any longer, though, I fear for her survival. The young man we found with her is currently working towards a fix, but there hasn't been much luck.”

“A fix?” Rena asked. “Do you mean he's gone off to fight him? Do you?”

“No, nothing like that yet,” Mayor responded. “I mean he's going through as many Dynamax Adventures with those two that found him to find the Legendary Cresselia.”

Hop slammed his balled up hand into the palm of the other. “The Lunar Wings, of course! Darkrai and Cresselia are basically two halves of the same whole, so it's only natural that she'd be here as well!”

“So we've got options open to us!” Rena exclaimed. “You're so smart in this area, Hop-san!”

Hop blushed something fierce, scratching the back of his head. “Nah, I'm not that bright. I just did some homework when Lee mentioned this scenario.”

“Well, it's as good a lead as any,” Keiichi said. “Gramps, could you point us in the way of these 'Dynamax Adventures'?”

“It's in a cave, back the way you came,” Mayor answered. “There's a lot of electronics out front, you can't miss it.”

Everyone agreed on their next course of action, yet Satoko hesitated briefly. “Just... one last question, please,” she said shyly. “The 'young man' you found with out friend, who was he?”

“A bit of an odd duck, really,” Mayor responded. “Said he didn't want to use his real name until he could look his sister in the eyes. Insisted we call him 'Nii' for the time being. Come to think, his hair and eyes were just like yours, lass.”

“Same hair and eyes?” Rena muttered. “That could only mean...”

“Nii-nii,” Satoko muttered in disbelief. “Nii-nii's... here...”

“Satoshi Houjou,” Keiichi said quietly. “Alright! Now we've got even more reason to give it our all!”

Most of the group ran off in the direction of the Max Lair. The only ones who held back for the moment were Satoko and Rika. “Satoko, are you alright?” Rika asked. “Don't you want to see him?”

“I...” Satoko hesitated greatly. “If I see him now, I... I think I'll just weaken his drive.”

Rika realised what she meant quickly. “You want to see him when he feels he's ready, right?”

Satoko nodded sadly. “If... if being strong for just a little while longer is what Nii-nii needs, then... then I can do that much.”

Rika smiled slightly, and pat Satoko on the head. “I understand, Satoko,” she said. “Then, as one last thing to say...”

Rika pumped her fist into the air.

“Fight on! Nippah!”

* * *

  
  


The Max Lair, for all its impressive science-based gizmos, thingamabobs, and doohickeys, was a very damp and depressing place. Granted, with the things going on outside, that was no surprise.

When the trio of Hop, Keiichi and Rena entered, they had expected bustling scientists and a horde of explorers, not a sombre atmosphere.

One of the few scientists noticed them, particularly when Rika finally caught up to them and explained Satoko's whereabouts.

“Are you kids here for a Dynamax Adventure?” the woman said. “You certainly picked a dour time for one.”

“We heard from the mayor about it,” Keiichi answered for the group. “Is there another group down there right now?”

“Yes. The 'Moon Hunters', as they've taken to calling themselves,” the scientist explained. “They've been coming and going for the past week to find that Pokemon. They should be just about finished with their current run.”

As if on cue, a few figures staggered out. First was a girl a little older than Keiichi and Rena, with dark skin, blonde hair, and dressed in a high school based uniform. Next was a tall, strongly built man in explorer gear that looked as if she could be the previous girls father. The third was a rather plain looking old man, dressed in a blue suit and carrying an umbrella, and the last of the four was...

A boy with familiar blonde hair and brown eyes that spoke both of bitter defeat and carried the spark of hope.

“Another rough run down there?” the scientist asked. “Although, you're looking far more chipper than previous attempts, Nii.”

“Well, we had our first major breakthrough,” he responded in a voice all too familiar to two of Rika's group, that being Rika herself and Rena. “That path we were on actually led to Cresselia.”

“You actually found it?!” the scientist shouted.

“You bet we did!” the man in explorer gear shouted. “The lad here's been super-mega thorough in our search, especially when he picked up that Slowking! Were he not so against it, I'd have adopted him already!” The man let out a loud, boisterous laugh, even as the girl beside him elbowed his side.

“God, dad, you're just an embarrassment,” she muttered.

“It's alright, Peonia-san,” 'Nii' responded jovially. “It's a warming offer and all, Peony-san, but I still have a place that I need to go home to.”

Rika, Rena, and Keiichi all shared a look. 'Nii' had yet to realise they were there, so how would they announce themselves?

It was decided then, that Rika would announce themselves.

“You don't have to worry about that, sir,” she said, catching 'Nii' by surprise (and it was quite evident that he looked like he just heard a ghost). “If finding your way home is too hard at the moment, then let home find its way to you.”

'Nii' looked at Rika in absolute shock, which doubled upon seeing Rena. “Rika...san? Rena-san?”

“Yes. It's Rika,” Rika answered chipperly. “Nippah!”

“It's good to see you again, Sa... no, Nii-kun,” Rena said. “The mayor of Freezington told us about the situation. Would you allow us to help? Would you?”

“But, I...” 'Nii' muttered, losing his words. “How are you two here? And, if you are, then...”

“Satoko's waiting back in the village, if that's what you're wondering,” Keiichi voiced. “Said she'd wait until you were ready.”

'Nii's expression was a mix of shock and confusion when he looked at Keiichi. “We've not met before, if that's what you're wondering,” Keiichi said. “Name's Keiichi Maebara. Think of me as your seat-warmer back home.”

“Seat-wa... What?” At this point, confusion had all but taken over 'Nii's emotional state. “No, forget that. What are you two... three doing here? How are you here?”

“The same way you got here, sir,” Rika answered.

“But... I don't know how I got here!”

“You catch on quickly,” Keiichi pointed out.

'Nii' fumbled with his words for about a minute, then... he laughed. Well, the only reason it could be called 'laughing' was because any other word was either too weak or too strong.

What could be said about it, though, was that it was a joyous laugh, straight from the heart. In fact, some tears had begun to form in his eyes.

“You... you guys...” he wheezed out. “I don't even... know how long it's been since... since I last laughed like this.”

The tall guy, Peony, if they recalled, slapped 'Nii' on the back and laughed. “How about that, kiddo? You've really got some keepers for friends.”

“He totally does, mister,” Rena said, to which Keiichi and Rika nodded in agreement. “Now, though, it's just time he recalled that he can rely on those friends again.”

'Nii' wasn't sure quite how to respond to that. “How about we take a break, kiddo?” Peony said. “We've been at this since about six this morning. Take some time and catch up with your mates.”

* * *

  
  


During this time, Satoko got the lay of the land in Freezington. Granted, there wasn't much distance from one end to the other, only a few houses, and nobody out and about.

The biggest house in the village, which tended to get rented out to explorers, was currently being used as an emergency room for those yet to awaken.

She entered the house slowly, unsure of what to expect, and what greeted her was a strange mix of an emergency hospital and a slumber party.

Roughly sixteen people were laid out on every large horizontal surface available. They all looked to be in a sleep they could wake from at any moment, yet despite the beads of sweat that formed on their brows, they showed no signs of waking.

Satoko scanned over the sleeping people, a sense of dread filling her heart. She knew her Nii-nii was here, which, by the logic of Avery's poetry, covered the whole 'sunflower' part, but that left the question of...

Finally, she spotted it. Among those that slept unsoundly, was a girl with long green hair, and considering that it wasn't kept in a ponytail, that meant it could only be one person.

“Shion-san,” Satoko muttered quietly. Of course it would be Shion Sonozaki. The world was never a kind place to those of the Houjou family. Of course the one person that was like an older sister to her, who took up her Nii-nii's mantle when he disappeared, who supported her the most outside of Rika and Hanyu during the years after he disappeared, would end up like this.

Satoko knelt down at Shion's side. Whatever it was she was dreaming of, it must have been heart rending, if the constant stream of tears was anything to go by. She seemed to be apologising for something, occasionally following up with Satoko's name, Rika's, Mion's, Keiichi's, and Nii-nii's.

No one should have to apologise that much an not be forgiven, no matter what it was she thought she'd done. If it's something that can be fixed, then focus more on fixing. If it's something that can't be fixed, then that's just more reason to forgive.

That was something Keiichi had said a long while ago. Satoko couldn't remember what had brought it up, but it stuck with her quite a bit.

So, all Satoko could do at the moment was sit and hold Shion's hand. She could only hold her hand, and pray that the others would pull through.

A chill ran down Satoko's spine all of a sudden. Something ominous had just entered the area.

Choosing between a rock and a hard place, Satoko left Shion's side, and ran outside.

There, floating high in the sky, was a humanoid figure without legs, wrapped in the darkest black she had ever seen.

“Is that... Darkrai?” she muttered in fear. The Pokemon stared down at her through a single azure eye that peaked out from its pure white hair. The longer she looked at it, the more the began to think it was going to vanish in a puff of smoke.

Actually, the longer she looked at it, the more she felt like she wasn't sure where reality and dream intersected.

So, she couldn't waste any time. If this was the Pokemon causing Shion so much pain, then she may as well defeat it here and now!

Contrary to belief, Satoko's team did _not_ consist of six Stunfisk (Stunfisks? No idea what the plural form is). It consisted of three Stunfisk, a Ribombee, a Rotom, and a Gallade. All in all, not a bad setup when going against a pure dark-type like Darkrai.

Gallade was sent out first. While not stacked to the brim with long ranged attacks, it did have one that would do a considerable amount of damage; Aura Sphere. Decently powerful, with a near-assured chance of hitting its mark.

Gallade shot off the attack, yet instead of trying to dodge it, Darkrai fired off a wave of black enegry, dispersing the attack.

Satoko braced herself as the attack washed over herself and Gallade. “So, this is how strong a legendary is?” she muttered. “My word, what unnatural pressure.”

On the edge of her hearing, Satoko picked up what she believed was a low mumbling. Yet, there was no one around.

She made to give Gallade the next order, but noticed he was face down in the snow already. “Gallade?” she called out. Gallade twitched slightly, and a haunting realisation dawned on her. “I can't be... a nightmare?”

Gallade had been brought down that quickly? Satoko quickly reached for another pokeball, only to find... nothing. “Where...?”

As the muttering got slightly louder, she connected the dots. If Gallade, a Pokemon that was neutral against dark type attacks, was already taken down like this, then who's to say she wasn't compromised herself?

When the idea popped into her head, the voices grew more tangible.

“ _Those damn Houjou brats,”_ one of them said, voice laced with venom. _“What does it take to just get them out of our hair?”_

“ _At least one of them's dropped off the map,”_ another voice said. _“Only took Oyashiro-sama forever to get to him.”_

Satoko lowered her head. So, this was to be her nightmare? The ridicule she and her brother had to live with following the dam war?

Satoko smirked, glaring into Darkrai's eye. “What, did you think that would be enough to stop this lady?” she said confidently. “Sorry, but you're going to need a lot worse than that!”

Darkrai looked at the girl with a look of surprise in its eye, mixed with... was that awe? Was the Pokemon that governs nightmares impressed by her resilience? Well, if there was anything to give a girl a confidence boost, it would be earning the respect of a near-god.

“Oi! You damn brat!” a loud, _scarily familiar_ voice shout.

Satoko did her best not to freeze up in terror. She didn't go through upwards of 200 hours of therapy with Shion and Rika for nothing. That being said, however, she could not completely suppress her trembling.

She slowly turned around, to see a behemoth of a man with blonde hair, dressed in a red Hawaiian shirt, stomping through the snow towards her.

Teppei Houjou, that son of a bitch.

' _Of fucking course he'd show up in my nightmare,_ ' Satoko curse internally. Honestly, she was surprised how rational she was keeping her thoughts. That didn't change the fact, however, that the worst man she'd ever known was bee-lining it towards her with an absolutely furious look on his face.

Teppei raised a fist to strike, and Satoko prepared to dodge. The man may have instilled an ungodly amount of fear into her, but again, 200+ hours of therapy.

At least, she would have dodged, had a shadowy spike not shot past her head, piercing Teppei through the heart.

Dumbfounded by the _newer_ sudden turn of events, Satoko turned around once more, and saw Darkrai standing/floating barely an inch away from her.

Satoko fell over backwards, eyes locked with the legendaries. Just what was it after?

* * *

  
  


Mayor ran into the Max Lair, struggling to catch his breath. “It... it's an emergency!” he shouted.

Peony leapt to his feet in an instant. “Mayor! What is it?”

'Nii' was quick to his feet as well, yet by the look on his face, he knew what was coming. “Did Darkrai show up again?!”

Mayor nodded, and a look of fear washed over everyone's faces. Within the next minute, there were a variety of reactions.

First, Rika wasted no time with statements, running out of the Lair with Hop and Rena closely behind.

“Shit, Satoko!” Keiichi shouted, chasing not far behind them, with 'Nii' closely after.

It took all of two minutes for them to get back to Freezington, and barely a hundredth of that time to process the sight before them.

A Gallade was splayed out in the snow, and the shadowy Pokemon that looked very much like it have a name as edgy as 'Darkrai' hovered not too far... carrying Satoko in its arms.

Before dread overcame Rika, she charged Darkrai in fury, sending Satochu out into battle. “Hit it with Thunder Shock! Don't let it get away!” she shouted.

Usually, electric based attacks wouldn't be a smart move in a situation like this. Rika, however, wasn't exactly in a state of mind to think these things through when she gave the order. Satochu, on the other hand, was a very skilled attacker.

The thunder arced from the Pichu, attempting to find its target. Unfortunately for the thunder, its target was a little too nimble for it to hit.

Darkrai came to a halt high in the sky, shifting Satoko's weight into one arm. It raised its free hand skyward, as dark energy began to form around it.

“It's about to unleash Dark Void!” 'Nii' called out. “If anyone gets hit by that, it's a one-way trip to your worst dreams!”

Rika quickly pieced together what that meant, and immediately jumped between Satochu and Darkrai. 'Nii' called out a large black and green serpent-like Pokemon, and dragged the others behind it.

The wave launched. From 'Nii's' perspective, they couldn't be 100% sure if Rika was still standing after that.

There was a small crunch, as the serpent-like Pokemon swallowed a berry to stave off sleep. 'Nii' peaked around the Pokemon, to see Rika's current situation.

He, and the rest, were surprised to see her still standing.

“What, did you think a nightmare could knock me out?” she muttered defiantly, though her voice sounded strained. “You'll have to hit me with more than that to keep me down, sir.”

There was an unusual tone to her voice. It had the inflection and wording of her usual speech pattern, but the underlying hostility was positively palpable.

Satochu looked at his trainer in worry. A trail of blood made its way from Rika's shoulder, down both her arm and back, and began to dye the snow beneath her. It didn't take a genius to tell from the fresh blood on her right hands fingers that she had dug her nails into her own shoulder to keep herself from sleep.

Darkrai, shocked by the tenacity of this girl, made the executive decision of hightailing it out of there.

“Get back here!” Rika shouted angrily, trying to chase after the fleeing Pokemon.

“Chu! Pichu Pi!” Satochu yelled, though none were sure if he was yelling with Rika or calling for her to slow down, because _Jesus Christ_ that's a lot of blood.

“Damn it, we've got to go after it!” Keiichi shouted. “Where the hell is it going? Can we even track this thing?”

“I've got it covered!” 'Nii' yelled back, as he pulled a green... well, it wasn't exactly a cube, but the sides were inherently inconsistent, so 'cube' was the only thing it could be called without hurting anyone's head. “Zygarde! We need you in your 10% forme!”

The serpent-like Pokemon, officially identified as Zygarde, nodded, as its body began to break down into countless cell-like organisms, most of which entered the cube 'Nii' was holding, while what remained reformed into what looked to be some sort of dog-like creature.

'Nii' quickly knelt down to Zygarde's new height. “Zygarde, I need you to track Darkrai. It has my sister, so you should be able to pick up a scent like my own, right?” He was honestly quite surprised how level headed he was managing to remain. At the very least, he wasn't ripping his own arm off like Rika had attempted.

He was fairly certain she dislocated it, at the very least.

Zygarde let out a... well, it was a sound of confirmation, at the very least. Wouldn't exactly call it a 'bark', though. Then, Zygarde ran off in a direction, having picked up a faint scent.

“That way!” 'Nii' shouted. “Come on!”

As he led the charge, Hop tried to convince Rika to stay behind. In the near to distant future, historians would recount this as, at worse, a bad idea.

“Rika, please just listen!” Hop all but shouted. “You need to get that injury treated! Leave the rest to...”

“To what, Hop?” Rika spat, wrapping her muffler around the wound as a makeshift bandage. “It has been most of a month, it took me forever and a day to find her again, and when I did, her life was in danger. Now, when she's in danger once again, you want me to sit in the peanut gallery? No. I'm saving my friend.”

Rika tightened the muffler once more, causing a small amount of blood to squirt out, spotting the snow like rain on warm concrete, and a small bit dotting Hop's cheek as she passed by. She hadn't severed any major nerves or arteries with her stunt, but considering her nails were at such a length that a slap could be mistaken for a mugging, there was still a considerable amount of bleeding.

Hop gently wiped the blood that landed on his cheek, and looked at his hand. It was... almost surreal for him. Legendary Pokemon were, well, the stuff of legends. They weren't something you'd casually walk up to and fight/catch, yet here were four people, not much older than he was, who looked like they'd be prepared to claw their way out of the ninth circle of hell, using their own bones as canes to support their other broken limbs. Hell, he wouldn't even be surprised if, at this point, Rika ripped off one of her arms, tied a length of rope to the wet end, and used it as a grappling hook.

Then, it finally clicked just why that was. It was a small thought, that anyone older than roughly ten would think is a bit cheesy.

The reason Rika Furude, and all her friends, were willing to effectively go to hell and back, was simply because they were that damn important to each other. It went beyond the idea of 'being willing to die for each other', and went straight into 'willing to kill for each other' territory. It was the kind of bond that broke through the limits of friends, family, and probably even lovers, and stood above all else, making even the best of friends green with envy.

Of course Rika would risk serious blood loss and possibly serious injury to herself for Satoko; it was a natural thought for her. Of course Rena would run through Route Six at a speed that would make a professional athlete hang his shoes in shame just to follow a potential lead; it was natural for her. Of course Keiichi would give a prophecy a chance if it meant finding his missing friends; it was _the natural thing_ for him to do.

When he thought back to his relationship with Victor, Hop began to feel some form of envy. They had known each other since they were tiny brats, yet Hop couldn't quite imagine Victor jumping in front of a Tauros horde to save him. Yet, were these people from Hinamizawa in the same situation, they'd not only jump in front of the horde; they'd wrestle the leader to the ground, and claim the horde as their own.

Seeing such dedication, Hop really couldn't help but feel just a bit envious.

* * *

  
  


Zygarde led the way through damp wetlands, frozen hillsides, and chilly cave networks, and eventually, a snowy path that led up to an old, abandoned castle.

“The Crown Shrine, huh?” 'Nii' muttered. “Should have figured it would be here. It was either this or Dyna Tree Hill.”

Rika let out a few heavy breaths. Her determination may have still been high, but adrenaline was a more finite resource, doubly so for blood. Considering she was dealing with five small, very deep wounds in her shoulder, she knew she had to be somewhat careful. Hell, her once white muffled was now almost completely red in colour.

Before anyone could comment further, though, another dark wave washed over the area. Rika quickly applied precise pressure on her wounds, forcing herself to stay awake.

So it was quite surprising for her to see no one fall over at that moment.

“How's everyone holding?” Keiichi shouted. “Anyone feel like they or someone else has fallen asleep?”

“No, this isn't Darkrai's offensive strategy,” 'Nii' said, gritting his teeth. “Peony-san told me before. Darkrai doesn't put people to sleep when they enter its territory.”

“Then, what did it do?” Rena asked. “What was it?”

“You don't mean a waking nightmare, do you?” Hop asked.

“Well, that depends. If you guys look ahead, do you see what I'm seeing?”

Everyone looked ahead, as he said, and were met with mixed reactions.

...Well, actually there were only two types of reactions; Hop's, which was a mix of shock and confusion, and the rest, which was a mix of shock and fear.

“You gotta be kidding me with this,” Keiichi muttered.

Rika forced a grin onto her face, despite the beads of sweat that fell from her brow. “Well, if that ain't a homecoming, I don't know what is.”

“Homecoming?” Hop questioned. “What are you talking about? Do you guys know this place?”

“Do we know it? Of course we do,” Rena said in response, her left hand held against the side of her neck. “How could we not? This is... our home, after all.”

“Your... home?”

“Yes,” Rika continued.

A sound echoed from the village that had appeared, where the snow ended and a summer landscape began. The sound was not unlike that of the Kricketune's call, but it was... different.

“This... is Hinamizawa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom. Here we go, probably one of the bigger battles that'll take place here.  
> It's actually rather interesting to play with dream perspective, going all 'Inception' or just throwing red herrings here and there.  
> And if you're wondering why I keep calling that one character 'Nii' when it's so blatantly obvious who he his, well... actually, why do I need to explain that? It's a common story element.  
> No matter, onward we go!


	8. Golden Dream

Now that Hop had taken a moment to collect himself, he felt that he could safely say that Hinamizawa, dream or not, was a nice place on paper.

The sun was high in the sky, the air was particularly clean, and if he was here on a summer vacation or something, he'd have really liked it.

However, he was not here by choice, nor where Rika, Keiichi, Rena, or 'Nii'. No, they were here because that Pokemon, Darkrai, had wanted them to be here. And apparently, it didn't even give them the luxury of falling asleep to be here.

Another thing that seemed to set off alarm bells in Hop's head was just how determined the other four were. That is, assuming you spell 'determined' the same way as 'mildly crazy'.

It was bad enough when Rika dug her nails into her shoulder, deep enough for small jets of blood to come out when enough pressure was applied, but now the other three had some kind of self-inflicted wound on their person as a means of assuring themselves awake.

The first, and most obvious one, was Rena. Hop had found it odd that, at some point, she had placed her hand on the side of her neck. Come to think of it, something about that was familiar, but he couldn't quite place where.

When she had finally moved her hand, he saw a fresh cut along the side of her neck, and a little bit of blood under her nails.

When he tried to tell Keiichi about it, he then noticed that he had his own wound; a self-inflicted bite on his right hand. Then, Hop noticed that 'Nii' had jabbed himself with a pen in the side of his leg.

He was really starting to think that his new friends were a bit off in the head.

“This is... eerily nostalgic,” 'Nii' commented. “How was Darkrai able to recreate Hinamizawa so precisely?”

“I'd assume it's to do with having Satoko,” Rika guessed in her darker voice. “If that thing's devouring nightmares from her, then I'd be more surprised if it didn't perfectly recreate our home.”

“Okay, I'm just gonna come out and say it!” Hop shouted. “How are you guys not freaking the hell out because of this?! This is... I don't even know what's going on anymore!”

“It's because, at times, there's no room to question what's going on,” Rena answered. “When we started remember alternate versions of our lives, we didn't have the chance to prepare. When we became aware of the horrors we committed in those lives, we didn't have the choice but to live with them.” Rena's hands began to tremble, as an almost demonic look glazed over her eyes. “Can you imagine it? Waking up one morning with a vivid idea as to what the inside of a human skull looks like? Waking up one morning knowing what it's like to have your brains splattered against the wall as you plead for your friend to come to his senses? Can you imagine...”

“Rena!” Keiichi shouted, grabbing her hand that was slowly rising back to her neck. “Calm down. You're falling back into _those_ habits again.”

In that moment, Rena's eyes had returned to their usual sheen. She looked at her bloodied hand in fear, then, as if thinking the blood on her hands belonged to someone else, she quickly embraced Keiichi.

'Nii' let out an almost dry chuckle. “Seems I've missed a lot while I was gone,” he muttered. “Who should I ask for a recap?”

“Save it for later,” Rika stated. “We've got some uninvited guests coming out way.”

Everyone turned their attention forwards, where... well, it wasn't inappropriate to call what stood before them 'uninvited', but it seemed a bit weak a descriptor for the strange, abominations against nature that crept forward on all fours.

The main bodies of these creatures were, without question, that of Pokemon, with species ranging from Garchomp, to Haxorus, to Hydreigon, Sableye, Sceptile, and Bisharp, just to name a few. Their heads, however, were anything but Pokemon.

Every one of them had the head of someone they knew and feared. Primarily, it was the head of Teppei Houjou and his lover, Rina Mamiya. Included among that repeating face was a few instances of the Sonozaki family head, Oryou, plenty of instances of Miyo Takano and her underlings, and... a girl who looked an awful lot like Rika. Just a single instance on that one.

“Talk about unsettling,” Keiichi muttered. “Who's that last girl, anyway? Looks way too much like Rika for my liking.”

“A personal vendetta of mine,” Rika answered bitterly. “Don't feel as if you have to carry the torch of killing her for me, I'll do it myself.”

The four from Hinamizawa called forth their Pokemon. In 'Nii's' case, though, his only other Pokemon was a Slowking.

Hop grit his teeth, and sent his own team to join the lineup. “You know what? If you guys haven't seen a therapist by now, you should really get on that! And if you already are, then maybe take their advice a bit more seriously!”

“Worry about our mental state later, Hop,” Rika retorted. “Now, let's blow these bastards out of our way!”

* * *

  
  


Within the Crown Shrine stood a tall, frozen tree. At its base, Darkrai waited, the slumbering body of Satoko Houjou not even five metres away, with a heavy blanket draped over her.

What was important, however, wasn't the presence of the legendary and its plus one, but something far above it, sitting upon one of the branches of the tree.

She was a young lady, age averaging between late teens to early twenties at most, with blonde hair kept in a regal bun, and dressed in an elegant black and orange dress. She was the textbook definition of a 'foreign beauty'.

The woman sat, twirling her tobacco pipe absentmindedly in her hand as she watched the five youths fight their way through unholy hordes of human/Pokemon hybrids in a quasi-nightmare landscape.

“So, this is what you were like as a human?” she asked, eyes fixed solely on Rika Furude. Then, she let out a cackle. A haunting, unearthly cackle. “Interesting. Very interesting! I can see you're more enjoyable as Rika Furude, rather than that other potential you.” She laughed again, and to anyone who heard it, they would have sworn that there was a reverb somewhere.

Then, the woman stood up. “Well, I suppose I should get to work, then. That guy will get shirty again if I don't do something about this nightmare situation. And hey,” her expression twisted into a sadistic grin, “any means of messing with Bernkastel's good by me.”

With a wave of her pipe, a luxury ball manifested in the air. The ball opened, and a majestic pink, yellow, and blue Pokemon emerged, whose details carried the imagery of a crescent moon.

“Now then, Cresselia, let us work our way from the ground up,” the woman said authoritatively. “Come, come, try to recall; What reality do you humans truly belong to?”

* * *

  
  


It was the longest five minutes of their lives.

Well, maybe not. Their fight against Miyo Takano probably still held that record, and 'longest five minutes' was a false statement in general, as time was generally considered to be one of the few things consistent in life.

That being said, though, these past five minutes were definitely up there on the list of their most stressful periods of time. Not helped by the fact that they were having to fight their way through absolute chimeras of Pokemon and humans.

At the end of that long road that merged a warm summer village with a frigid mountainside path, they came across the way entrance to what was, at some angles, a run down old castle, and at others, a Japanese shrine.

“So, half Crown Shrine, half Furude Shrine, then?” Keiichi muttered. The wounds on his hand had increased slightly, and the amount of skin you could see past all the blood was... concerningly low. “Gotta give that Darkrai props for going all out, huh?”

“Let's not praise it too much,” 'Nii' responded. “We're burning through a lot of time right now.”

A faint groaning echoed from behind. The gang turned, to see two _purely humanoid_ figures limping towards them. Somehow, that alone made them more frightening than any chimera that had been here previously.

“Oi, are you guys serious about this?” Hop asked, staring nervously at the two oncoming figures. After all, it didn't take a genius to recognise them; all one had to do was look at the weapons they were carrying, and the amount of blood that had drained from the scratches on their necks.

After all, for Keiichi and Rena, they'd be the first to recognise their own doubles.

“Strangely enough, I was wondering when they'd show up,” Keiichi said as confidently as he could. “You'd think our biggest problems would show up more readily in a nightmare like this.”

“Rika-chan, Hop-san, Nii-kun, you three go on ahead,” Rena stated. “Keiichi-kun and I will handle this one.”

Rika wanted to comment, to tell them to either ignore the fakes or have everyone team up, but one look at their expressions silenced the words before they left her throat. “Alright,” she accepted. “Just... stay safe, okay?”

“You got it,” Keiichi gave a thumbs up. “After all, if you can't confirm whether it won't kill you, then it's best to assume it will.”

“Why can you say that with such confidence?!” Hop yelled. “How?! What is it with you guys?!”

“Didn't Rika already tell you?” Keiichi responded. “We already don't function on the average level of sanity. Now, get going! Satoko's waiting for you guys!”

Rika and 'Nii' nodded to each other, and ran on ahead, with Hop closely behind. At least, as fast as they could with one person limping, and the other no doubt suffering a severe level of blood loss.

“Keiichi-san! Rena-san!” Rika called back quickly. “Fight on!”

Rena and Keiichi flashed a thumbs-up to the youngest trainer present, continuing to face their oncoming foes as the three pressed forward.

“You know, Keiichi-kun,” Rena started, “we talked a tough fight, but I'm... starting to feel rather faint right now.”

“Oh, good,” Keiichi muttered. “I was worried I'd be the only one. You think it's blood loss, or the hypnosis?”

“Both. Definitely both,” Rena answered. “Doesn't it feel like the world might just slip away from under our feet? Doesn't it?”

“Totally,” he agreed. Then, both he and Rena called their Pokemon back to their balls. “That being said, I'd rather not burden these guys with fighting 'us'.”

“Agreed,” Rena said, before rummaging through her bag, and producing two very familiar looking tools.

The same tools their bloodied, zombie-like doubles were carrying; a metal baseball bat, and a meat cleaver.

“Ah, we're going down _that_ route, are we?” Keiichi asked, grabbing the bat as Rena tossed it to him. “What was it Rika called that timeline? Tsumihoroboshi or something?”

“That's the one,” Rena answered, twirling the cleaver with a surprising amount of dexterity. “So, you want to take your double, or mine?”

“You kidding? You remember how it turns out when we fight each other.” Keiichi readied his bat. “Besides, what better way to move forward than beating your own shadow?”

Rena gave a small laugh. “Then, how about raising the stakes? How about it?”

“A penalty game, then?”

“Winner is the first one to defeat their double. Standard penalty applies.”

Keiichi's grin broadened considerably. “Now we're talking!” he yelled, as they both charged on.

Despite their exhaustion, the ran forth with a spring in their step.

* * *

  
  


The inside of the Crown Shrine/Furude Shrine was, interestingly enough, almost one to one what the Crown Shrine should have been. It was cold, snowed in, and dead looking. Not a single scrap of it could be attributed to the memory of Hinamizawa.

“So, what? Did Darkrai make a 'nightmare doughnut' for us?” 'Nii' asked sarcastically. “How awfully kind of it.”

The air ahead seemed to shimmer as if it were a summer heatwave. The light contorted greatly, and the recognisable figure that was Darkrai came into being.

Rika stepped forward first, with Satochu standing protectively between her and the legendary. “I won't pretend I know your mind,” Rika said. “But you took my friend, and I want her back. Now, **where is she**?”

Something in the inflection on the last three words caught everyone that heard them quite off guard. It seemed almost... unnatural.

Darkrai, however, appeared largely unphased by it. After staring Rika in the eyes for what seemed an eternity, it motioned its head off to the side, where Satoko was laid out.

Rika and company slowly crept their way to Satoko's side, keeping their eyes on Darkrai for any funny movements.

'Nii' was the first to break off before too long, running to Satoko's side. “Satoko! Can you hear me?” he asked, lightly shaking her. There was no response, yet she seemed to be sleeping more soundly than any of the previous nightmare sufferers he'd seen.

Hop performed a quick vitals check, just to be on the safe side, which caused Rika to take her eyes off Darkrai for less than a second.

A span of time that was all it needed to move closer.

When Rika looked back, she didn't even have time to process what happened, before she found herself being lifted off the ground by her throat.

“Rika!” Hop called, failing to reach her before Darkrai was once again airborne, with its hand clasped firmly around Rika's throat. “Damn it! Corviknight!” he called out his flying type partner. “Get up there and...”

He didn't even have the luxury of finishing that sentence, as Darkrai fired a Shadow Ball at it, and knocking it out almost immediately.

Rika scratched at Darkrai's three-fingered hand, desperate to get at least a few fingers between the claw and her neck.

“You...” it spoke, leaving the parts of Rika's brain that could still comprehend it surprised. “You are the source of those nightmares.”

“Wh... what are you...” Rika tried to speak, yet Darkrai only increased the pressure on her neck.

“I have seen the nightmares those children have,” Darkrai continued. “Never would I have thought a human existed who could play around with the space-time continuum as much as you do, or as cruelly.”

Rika managed to get a single finger from her left hand under the claw. “I... Just wanted to...”

“To what?” Darkrai asked, as its grip tightened. A faint 'crunch' could be heard, as the pressure caused Rika's finger to bend unnaturally. “Death comes as a part of life. All dreams must come to an end. You, in your bid to prolong that dream of yours, have caused your so called 'friends' nothing but suffering.”

“It's... not your... your...” Rika began to lose the ability to speak. Everything began to blur as she struggled to breathe.

“Not my place, you say? Don't make me laugh,” it spat. “You're a thousand year old child throwing a tantrum because life won't go your way, and you don't even realise how much damage you caused because of it.” Darkrai raised its other claw, and a dark orb began to form in its grip. “That shall be your nightmare, so called miracle maker. From now until eternity, you shall know the pain your gallivanting has caused your friends!”

Rika's consciousness began to slip, until the dark sphere was launched, and struck her in the head.

In her heart, Rika knew Darkrai wasn't wrong. She hadn't done much for her friends outside of the last small handful of Fragments, and she could recognise how much her indifference during the times before could have done more harm than good. But what was she to do then? Even if she had the knowledge, she was still a child, not even old enough to be passingly called a teenager.

The nightmare didn't even give her the luxury of being asleep for it. Darkrai didn't even give her the luxury of being able to scream. As if the pain of having lived a thousand deaths wasn't bad enough, Darkrai, whom had been partaking in their nightmares like a fine wine for the past few hours, perhaps even days in some cases, did the equivalent of forcing her to chug said wine without even a chance to catch her breath.

Imagine, if you would, what it would feel like to know death so intimately. To have such a vivid recollection of experiencing countless different ways to die; dismemberment, disembowelment, shot in the head, shot in the chest, ripped limb from limb and left to bleed, head ripped off, clawing your own throat out, skull bashed in, drowning in literal shit, chest crushed by a hydraulic press. These were just a few of the experiences Rika Furude could list off the top of her head. In a morbid way, she was rather fond of the hydraulic press one, if only for the creativity behind it.

Rika had only been able to keep moving forward by repressing the emotions that came with those memories. Repeating the same month for centuries on end does wonders for a persons coping mechanisms. Being forced to relive _every last one of them_ while being choked, though, doesn't exactly give a girl the chance to mentally prepare herself.

Add in the nightmares that it had harvested from Satoko, Keiichi, Rena, and no doubt Shion? No one could say just how she'd handle all that.

Then, a voice cried out, followed by the intense crackling of electricity.

The voice cried 'Piiii...Chu!”

Darkrai instinctively released its grip on Rika, narrowly dodging a direct hit from an impressively powerful Thunder Bolt. Before Rika could hit the ground, Hop's Corviknight swooped by, grabbing her in its talons.

Darkrai attempted another attack at the Corviknight, only for its Shadow Ball to be intercepted by a burst of draconic energy from 'Nii's' Zygarde.

Darkrai glared threateningly at the two remaining trainers. Hop and 'Nii' both wore their nervousness openly, but the fire in their eyes had yet to go out.

The legendary glared daggers at the two. “You... You would dare to get in my way?”

“Shove off, would ya?” Hop shouted back. “I may not know what you were on about, but are you really saying they were better off being dead?!”

“What purpose is there to life if all you do is suffer?” Darkrai asked. “Why live, when your very existence causes nothing but pain for others?”

“Don't go putting your personal grievances on this!” 'Nii' yelled. “I can't say I know what Rika-chan's been through either, but from what little I do know personally of her, she's always putting others before herself. I will not let you make her out to be a villain because of that!”

Darkrai finally showed some form of emotion on its face; anger. “Then squirm in the greatest shared nightmare you children of Hinamizawa have!” it yelled “Writhe in fear at the God that stalks your night!”

A new dark wave erupted from its claws. The shadows themselves seemed to twist and convulse, merging into a humanoid figure between the trainers and the legendary.

The figure defied all logic, as It seemed to be made entirely out of the blackest void, yet still wore a white traditional shrine priest outfit. What could have been construed as Its 'hair' had not distinct start or end, and Its eyes were piercing, as if It could see both your past and future.

That, and It had what might have been horns.

'Nii' began trembling quite seriously. “You're kidding me, right?” he asked. “Out of all the absurd things, it had to be this?”

“Uh, mate?” Hop asked. “Mind telling me what I'm looking at?”

'Nii' swallowed nervously. “It's my first time seeing It like this, but there's no way I could mistake this pressure,” he answered. “That's... Oyashiro-sama.”

The name alone sent a chill down Hop's spine, as he recalled some of the stories he'd heard over the past day. “So, that's the dreaded God, huh?” he muttered. “Well, It's certainly living up to the title.” Corviknight gently placed Rika down next to Satoko, as Hop turned to face Satochu. “I've got a plan, but I'll need you to work with me on this one, okay, buddy?” Hop asked, to which the Pichu nodded. Then, he turned to 'Nii'. “Nii, I'm going to create an opening. When I do, I want you to try and catch Darkrai, okay?”

“You sure?” 'Nii' asked. “How do you plan to get past the literal bane of our existence?”

Hop gave as confident a grin as he could. “That's where Corviknight and Satochu come in,” he said, as he hopped on Corviknight's back, and Satochu on its head. “Satochu! Start us off by hitting them both with Thunder Wave!”

Satochu let out a cry, as it launched its attack. Thunder Wave was a well known move, not for its offensive capabilities, but its utility. An almost guaranteed state of paralysis on the enemy wasn't something to turn your nose up at, after all.

The two waves shot forth. Darkrai dodged the one that targeted it with ease, yet 'Oyashito-sama' made no such effort, simply holding out a hand and grabbing the energy itself.

Then, to the surprise of everyone, It redirected the attack on to Darkrai.

Hop, at this point, decided not to look the gift Rapidash in the mouth, and treated this as a successful first move. “Now, Corviknight! Satochu! Hit Darkrai with Brave Bird and Volt Tackle! Give it everything you've got!”

Volt Tackle, the strongest electric move available to the Pichu evolution line, and Brave Bird, among the strongest hitting flying type moves. Naturally, when combined, they'd be the metaphorical equivalent of being hit by a comet. Considering the light show it became, it certainly looked like it fit that description.

The speed Corviknight took off at was borderline ludicrous, and the amount of energy that wrapped around the three as they soared towards their target was enough that anyone would have thought Hop couldn't have survived being in there.

That being said, Hop's seat on Corviknight's back was the equivalent to the 'eye of the storm'. Statistically speaking, Hop was presently in the safest possible place during this attack combination.

As they careened towards their mark, Hop noticed that 'Oyashiro-sama' had stepped aside, and was making no effort to stop them. As they passed It, Hop couldn't help but notice something that betrayed everything he had come to believe about It.

The eyes behind those piercing white dots. Those eyes that were deep, violet, kind, and all together human. Those eyes told him more about It that all the stories he had heard before.

This 'Oyashiro-sama' that Darkrai had created, built from the nightmares of the Hinamizawa residents as the pinnacle of their fears, had been corrupted by something that wasn't their fear.

“What... is going...” Darkrai muttered, realising that its grand plan had just been foiled. “You are suppose to be the embodiment of their fear! Why are you...”

Darkrai never got to finish that sentence before the attack hit. To say 'it hit like a truck' would be grossly underselling the impact of it. From its perspective, it felt like someone had condensed the force of a supernova into a cannonball.

Unfortunately for Darkrai, it also wasn't a simple 'one hit' combo. The combined force took 90 degree turns at the drop of a hat, honing back in on Darkrai and landing countless hits on it.

After a while, Darkrai slammed into the floor. It tried to draw energy from the nightmares, yet somehow, it found its powers blocked.

“Now, Nii!” Hop shouted. “Catch that bugger and be done with it!” Hop hadn't exactly gotten through that ordeal unscathed, though all he had to show in terms of damage was a few scorch marks here and there.

'Nii' nodded, and readied an ultraball. “You know, Darkrai, I _was_ , once upon a time, thinking of letting you off easy. Just beating you down and calling it a day,” he said. “But now you've threatened my friend, endangered my other friends, _kidnapped my sister,_ what's more. No, you don't get to go home easy.” He raised one knee up, holding the ball in both hands. “Once we're done here, you're going to stay in the farthest corner of the emptiest box I have!”

'Nii' slammed his foot down, stepped forward, twisted at the waist, and threw the ball in what could only be described as 'flawless baseball pitching form'. Darkrai realised quickly that, should that ball hit him, not only was it in a state that capture was all but guaranteed, but it was going to _hurt like hell_. In desperation, it fired off one last, defiant Shadow Ball.

The two spheres met in the middle, and the ultraball pierced through like there wasn't anything in its way.

In that last moment, Darkrai had one, lucid thought.

It was 'Oh shit'. Then, the ball struck.

The traditional flash of red shone, then Darkrai vanished, and the ultraball fell to the floor.

One shake.

'Nii' gulped nervously.

Two shakes.

Hop glared intently, ready to launch another attack if the need arises.

Three shakes...

'Ting'.

Never has a tiny sound removed so much stress before. The breath that 'Nii' didn't realise he was holding was finally released.

“We... we did it,” he muttered, falling to his knees. “We actually did it.” Then, he began to laugh. Not a manic, hysterical laugh, but a calm, tension free one.

Hop landed back on the ground, and walked over to him. “Hey, Nii!” he called, holding a hand up. “Up top!”

'Nii' got back on his feet shakily, yet with a look of confidence, gave Hop the high-five he'd asked for.

Then, as if trying to address the remaining elephant in the room, 'Oyashiro-sama' landed on ground level. 'Nii' readied himself for another battle, yet instead, Hop casually and slowly walked up to It.

“You know, I think I'm starting to get why you helped us out here,” he said, stopped just in front of It. The more he took in of Its ghastly, shadowy figure, the more he could understand just why 'Nii' was so on edge. Yet, Hop had to be this close, if only so he could keep his eyes on Its 'human' eyes. “Rika told me quite a bit about you, ya know? The others as well. A lot of their stories made you out to be some malevolent force, but not Rika's. She only ever said good things about you. That's why you helped us, isn't it? Because what Darkrai took from Rika was the truth that you're actually a good person, right?”

'Oyashiro-sama' looked at Hop blankly. At least, that's how it seemed to 'Nii'. For him, it looked like Hop was talking to a walking embodiment of evil, telling It that, deep down, It wasn't evil at all.

However, after a pause, 'Oyashiro-sama' nodded in response, confirming Hop's statement. A new, foreign cry echoed throughout the shrine. All it took to see the sounds owner was to look skyward, and see a pink light streak across the sky, leaving an aurora in its wake.

“That's... Cresselia!” 'Nii' stated. “That means... someone's been undoing the nightmares while we were up here!”

Faint lights trickled down from the sky, mirroring the falling snow. While it was not obvious to the eyes, something in their hearts made it feel as if the shadows caste over the Crown Tundra were being swept away.

From the feet up, 'Oyashiro-sama' began to disperse in small black embers that reminded Hop of flower petals.

“Guess this is where we part ways, huh?” Hop said. “Kinda sad to think about, yeah? I really do feel like we'd get along well.”

If Hop were to guess what 'Oyashiro-sama' was doing by how It moved Its arm, he'd guess giggling. Did It, perhaps, think the same thing?

In the distance (of about three to four metres), Rika stirred slightly. Her eyes peeked open slightly, and met with 'Oyashiro-sama's.

There was a brief pause, before Rika smiled tiredly. “Mii... thank you, Hanyu,” she whispered quietly, before consciousness left her again.

Hop briefly looked Rika's way, thinking he heard something. When he looked back, 'Oyashiro-sama' was little more than a torso and head that continued to fade.

The darkness enshrouding It gave way before the rest of the body, and at that point, 'It' became 'her'.

Her hair was a lavender colour, not too far from Rika's blueish purple. Her eyes were a dark violet that looked almost red in the centre at some angles. What remained of her attire was a white shrine maiden outfit, and most curiously, she had a pair of purple horns that accentuated her features.

At this point, Hop, and no doubt 'Nii' as well, saw not a daunting, frightening God that had honest mercy for the people scarred by It. Now, instead, they saw a young girl, happy to have been able to help her friends.

And then, like the petals of the cherry blossoms at the end of spring, she was gone.

* * *

  
  


A cool breeze rushed through the mountain side. Keiichi and Rena sat back to back, gradually catching their breaths.

“So... nightmares gone on your end?” Keiichi asked.

“Thankfully,” Rena muttered tiredly. “What about you, Keiichi-kun?”

“As proud as a former alcoholic to say that I'm clear,” he replied. “Guess the others managed to pull through.”

“What do you think that pinkish thing was a moment ago?” Rena asked. “Do you think it was Cresselia? Do you?”

“Dunno, but it certainly left some pretty lights behind.” Keiichi tried to suppress a yawn, and failed. “You know what? Once we get back to Freezington, I'm taking a nap. I'd say we earned one, after this ordeal.”

Rena nodded in agreement. From the entrance to the shrine, Hop and 'Nii' came through, carrying Rika and Satoko on their backs respectively.

“Yo. You guys are looking fine,” Keiichi called out. “Glad to see you're all still alive and kicking.”

“Right back at you, Maebara-san,” 'Nii' responded. “Everything's been solved on our end. Namely, Darkrai's be caught.”

“So, no more troubling others for it?” Rena questioned. “Thank goodness. I don't want to have to go through that more than once.”

“Here here, mate,” Hop cheered slightly. “Can you guys stand alright?”

“Yeah, we're good,” Keiichi said, forcing himself back to his feet alongside Rena. “Come on. It's time to head back.”

As they turned to leave, a Pokemon's cry echoed through the range. Everyone turned their attention upwards, to see Cresselia off in the distance.

“Guess it's seeing us off, then?” Hop muttered. Then, not far from Cresselia, he saw something. “Say, does anyone else see that figure up on the tree?”

Everyone looked up, and far in the distance, atop one of the highest branches on the frozen tree, they could barely make out a humanoid figure, whom seemed to be mounting Cresselia.

“I guess that's Cresselia's trainer,” Keiichi muttered. “Might explain how we got the upper hand at the end.”

“Do you think we should try to call them down here?” Rena asked. “We should at least try to thank them, right?”

“I don't think they'll be able to hear us from up there,” 'Nii' replied. Then, Cresselia departed from the branch, and the figure was gone. “And I guess the option's been taken from us, anyway.”

“Shame, that,” Hop said. “I would have like to at least meet them.”

* * *

  
  


Crunching snow. The rustling of wind in tall grass. Small, quiet conversations, for the sake of not waking those that sleep. A warm, familiar back.

These were the first things Satoko noticed when she began to regain consciousness. How long had she been out? She felt as if she could recall dreaming of something, but the subject eluded her, like trying to grab at mist in the summer.

With a small groan, she tried to open her eyes. The light made her vision blurry, but she was fairly certain that the one holding her on their back had blonde hair.

She tried to rack her brain for who that might be, and only came up on one answer. Yet, something in her heart struggled to believe it.

The boy seemed to notice her moving slightly. “Are you finally awake, Satoko?” he asked. Oh God, it even sounds like him, too.

“Am I... still dreaming?” Satoko asked weakly. Was it really him, or was this an illusion in her half-awake state?

He chuckled lightly, the tone indicating that he understood her disbelief. “I can't blame you for thinking it's too good to be true, Satoko,” he said softly. “But, I promise you, it's really me.”

Satoko let her gaze wander to the left first, where she saw Keiichi and Rena supporting each other as they walked. Then, to the right, where she saw Hop carrying Rika. All things considered, the options that this was anyone other than who she hoped it was were slim.

“Then... if I say your name, will you respond?”

He gave another small chuckle. “Of course I would, Satoko. Whether it's my nickname or not.”

Satoko felt her fingers begin to shake. She felt like, if she said his name, he might disappear again.

Swallowing nervously, she decided to take the chance.

“... Satoshi,” she said quietly.

A brief pause, and...

“I'm here,” he replied.

Those two words were enough to make her heart skip a beat. Like Rika in regards to Hanyu, Satoko was somewhat afraid of having hope. The fact that she had effectively just been on a day long nightmare binge didn't do her any favours as well.

Satoko had had nightmares like this before. Dreams that were pleasent enough, with him carrying her on his back. Yet, whenever she'd say his name, reality would quickly correct itself, and she'd wake up.

Now, here she was in that exact same situation, repeating that exact action of saying his name, yet now, instead of getting the metaphorical boot, reality was staying in place. She almost had a hard time believing it.

“... Nii-nii?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yes,” Satoshi replied gently, “it's Nii-nii.”

Now, it felt as if Satoko had butterflies in her stomach. Once seemed like a miracle, but twice felt doubly unlikely. So, if she tried it a third time, would that be pressing her luck, or assuring the miracle?

So, she tried one last time, just to be sure.

“... Nii-nii.”

Then, Satoshi chuckled lightly. “Yes. It's still Nii-nii.”

It wasn't a dream. He was actually here.

Overcome with emotions, Satoko wrapped her arms around him as best she could. He didn't flinch. He didn't disappear in a puff of smoke. He was real, and he was here.

Despite having technically been asleep all day, Satoko allowed herself to doze off, content with the knowledge that this warmth was real.

* * *

  
  


Off to the side, Keiichi and Rena tried to pretend they didn't overhear all that. Well, Rena tried, at least. Keiichi failed in that regard.

“I'm glad,” he muttered. “After everything that's happened up to this point, I'm glad something's gone so right for her.”

“I agree,” Rena said. “After Teppei, Miyo-san, and the general trouble Oryou Sonozaki-san gave her, I'm glad she's finally getting some form of payoff.”

Keiichi nodded in agreement. “Still, I wonder what happened to Cresselia's trainer. Just kinda showed up at the end there.”

“I'd really like to thank them at least once,” Rena added. “Even if they didn't do all that much, they still made the last few minutes of that battle easier.”

Before long, they finally reached the outskirts of Freezington, where two people were waiting for them. One of them was Peony, whom waved energetically at them as they approached.

The second one was a girl with long green hair, matching eyes, and dressed primarily in white. Considering the circumstances, it was easy to guess which of the two people that came to mind it was.

“Shion-chan!” Rena called out. “You're alright!”

Shion Sonozaki saw her friends, and a smile immediately spread across her face. “Hey!” she called out, jogging towards them.

Keiichi and Hop noticed Satoshi give them a brief look, before slowing his pace slightly to fall behind them. The two of them quickly picked up what he was planning; after all, it seemed that Shion hadn't quite noticed him yet. So, what better surprise for her than that?

“I'm so glad you guys are alright,” Shion said, coming to a stop. “Peony-san told me about what was going on. Where's...”

“Satoko? Don't worry, she's fine,” Keiichi answered. “In fact,” he grinned, “I think it's best if you here from the one guy who knows more about her in general than you do.”

“What?” Shion asked. “Kei-chan, what does that even mean?”

Then, Keiichi, Rena, and Hop stepped to the side, and Shion's jaw hit the metaphorical floor.

“Sa...toshi...kun?”

Satoshi gave a warm smile, yet there was a look in his eyes that said 'damn it, I still haven't prepared a speech!'. So, he settled on “Hey.”

“... 'Hey'?” Shion repeated, her tone suddenly going dark. “You basically go MIA for _two years_ , and all you have to say on seeing us again... is 'hey'?”

Satoshi opened and closed his mouth a few times. “To be fair,” he began, “I haven't had time to prepare a speech. Mostly because of the whole Darkrai thing, and _someone_ ,” he cast a glance at Keiichi, “didn't stall for enough time.”

“Hey, all we knew was that you wanted to surprise her,” Hop jumped in. “We didn't know you also needed time to write something up.”

“I know that, but still...”

Then, without much warning, Shion hugged Satoshi. Naturally, he began to blush quite intensely. “Sh... Shion-san?” he muttered bashfully.

“Thank you,” she whispered in response. “For coming back to her, to us.”

“Shion-san...” Satoshi closed his eyes, smiling quite eagerly. “I'd like to hug you back, but... my arms are kind of full at the moment.”

This hilariously awkward statement garnered the only fitting response it could; laughter. Laughter all around.

“Yes, I suppose they are,” Shion responded. Then, she noticed the blood on Satoshi's leg, followed quite quickly by the wounds on Rena, Keiichi, and Rika.

“Okay, guys?” Shion said worryingly. “Just what the hell did I miss?”

* * *

  
  


From high up in the sky, Cresselia floated with her trainer upon her back, watching over the young ones down below.

The trainer gave a small, warm cackle. Not a combination of adjectives you'd expect for cackling. “Well, I do suppose these warm and fuzzy endings are good every now and then,” she said. “At the very least, he won't be getting on my case for ruining any childhoods. Not like I'd have to try hard for these guys.”

She gave Cresselia a small pat on the head. “Take us to Wyndon. We should be able to get there before our exhibition match.”

As Cresselia took of at high speed, the womans smile turned into a sinister, unpleasant, yet somehow fitting snarl.

“Now, I hope you've prepared yourself, Baaaaattler!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> … So, I recently finished Umineko. First off, holy shit I can see why people sing it so much praise.   
> Between it and Higurashi, my personal bias is still towards Higurashi, but damn if it wasn't massively impactful. Heck, it's even convinced me to pick up an Agatha Christie novel, just to test out the classic mystery genre.  
> That being said, I did still have a plan to include some characters from Umineko, there was just the fact that, well, I hadn't cleared it all yet.  
> But, more on that in the next entries. Tally-ho!


	9. A Step Towards our Future

Wyndon was a very large city, even by Galar standards. It was, after all, the end point for the Gym Challenge, so there was a need for it to be big.

Wyndon, aside from its massive stadium, and being a major location of work for Marco Cosmos, was also well known for having some of the best damn hospitals in all of Galar.

That being said, the health standards of the world of Pokemon were, compared to ours, substantially higher, not to mention more effective, on account of there being Pokemon that can just straight up heal most physical injuries. In fact, there were some reports of particularly strong Audino's being able to reattach severed limbs and resuscitate people who's hearts had stopped for over ten minutes without any noticeable brain damage (for reference, brain damage after cardiac arrest occurs when the heart has been stopped for over three minutes).

So, for Bede, the fact that he was up and walking after having the bones in his legs effectively turned to dust in flesh bags only two days ago didn't really surprise anyone.

Just to clear up any confusion that might arise from the current time frame, the whole battle between team Rika and Darkrai took place over the span of yesterday, not that Bede was aware of it.

Still, for a Gym Challenger, two days behind, especially after the halfway point, was basically a death sentence. Couldn't exactly recover from falling behind that far.

With all that said, however, Bede wasn't too put out by it. Sure, he wasn't able to do good by the chairman, but he now had a new purpose driving him in life.

That, as it so happened, was the second part of Avery's poetry (prophecy!). While Rika and company were searching the Crown Tundra, Bede tasked himself with searching Wyndon for any signs of the girls missing friends.

Bede couldn't help but wonder where to start, though. As stated, Wyndon was a very large city, so the people was was suppose to be on the lookout for, people that he didn't know the faces of, could be anywhere.

Of course, there was one major problem with walking while deep in thought; you were bound to bump into someone.

In Bede's case, the person he accidentally bumped into was a well dressed man (or at least, teenager) with red hair, and a black cloak over a slightly off-white suit.

“Ah! Sorry about that,” the man apologised. “Guess I wasn't watching where I was going.”

“No, it's my fault,” Bede quickly said. “I was too deep in thought. I apologise, sir.”

“Deep in thought, huh?” the man, suddenly, had a rather mischievous grin. “Let me guess, is it about a girl you like? Ihihihihi!”

Contrary to the mans expectations, Bede did not get flustered. “Nothing like that, sir. I'm just worried about how I'm going to help some friends of mine.”

The man's expression quickly turned to one of intrigue. “Helping your friends, huh? Respect for that,” he said. “Why don't you tell me your story, then? Maybe I can help you out.”

“You sure?” Bede asked, seeming rather sceptical. “I mean, my story's a bit... turbulent, let's say.”

The man chuckled darkly. “Buddy, until you've heard _my_ story, you don't even know the meaning of the word turbulent. After all, you're still alive, right?”

* * *

  
  


So, to Bede's surprise, he told this man everything about the past week. From meeting Satoko to almost getting crushed to death.

The man let out a small whistle. “Damn. That's pretty rough.”

“I'll say,” Bede muttered. “And as much as I want to focus my time on helping Satoko and the others, my mind still keeps wondering why someone would try that.”

“The whydunit, huh?” the man said. Then, he made a small gesture with his hand, as if spinning a pen. “In that case, perhaps it's time to look at it in another way. Spin the chessboard, if you would.”

“Spin the chessboard?” Bede repeated.

“Just something my mother liked to do. A means of seeing things from your opponents point of view,” the man answered. “Now, let's think of this less as 'what does someone have to gain', and more 'what does someone have to lose'.”

“What someone has to lose...” Bede pondered the idea for a moment. “In that case, instead of looking at the 'me' on the board, what about Satoko and Keiichi? What if they were the targets?”

“Now we're getting somewhere,” the man said eagerly. “So, what would someone have to gain from seriously injuring/killing those two? Perhaps... they were wanting to hurt someone else?”

“Someone else..?” Then, Bede slammed one hand into his other. “Rika! They were trying to get at Rika!”

The man had a rather eager smirk on his face. “Now we're cooking with gas! So, what we know now is that someone wanted to cause grief to Rika Furude-chan by fatally wounding her friends.”

“And that narrows down the suspects to 'people who know Rika', too,” Bede added. “And you were able to figure all that out through simply listening to my story, too.”

“Well, to borrow a catchphrase from one of my old rivals,” the man said as he shifted his posture. “Through understanding the necessity of the heart in crime, this level of analysis is possible for Battler Ushiromiya!”

Bede reacted slightly to that name. “Did you say... Battler?” he asked. “As in, the current reigning champion of the Kanto-Johto Region?”

“Ah, so you do know me, then,” the man, Battler, said. “Good to know. Just means I don't have to spend too much time on an intro.”

“But, what's a regional champion doing all the way out here?”

“Spoilers, buddy,” Battler said. “But, let's just say ol' Rose wanted to set up a little treat to start off the finals.”

Bede nodded in response. “I think I could actually see that happening,” he said. “Still, to get back on topic, while we might now know a possible 'why', it still doesn't quite get us to 'who'.”

“Perhaps we're looking at too few motives, then,” Battler added. “Rather than thinking 'the culprit was targeting the two' or 'the culprit was targeting you', perhaps we should think that 'the culprit was going after both parties individually'.”

“So, what you're saying is that it wasn't a case of one party being caught up in the incident?”

“That's what I'm seeing, at least,” Battler said. “This is just guessing at this point, but the way I see it, the enemy was planning to get both you and Rika's friends, and just happened to pick a time where they could kill two birds with one stone.”

Bede couldn't help but notice the inflection on Battler's statement. It was like the words were being said in a different font. Regardless, though, the importance was not lost on him. In fact, that might have been the reason he heard the inflection like he did. “So, what should we do with this information?”

“Not a lot, actually,” Battler admitted. “All we have are glimpses and ideas about the culprit. We've reached a point in our speculation where, unless someone with the facts tells us otherwise, we can claim to have a good idea as to who our culprit is. Our culprit is someone who knows of the existence of people from other worlds, and has a vendetta against you.”

Bede gave him a look. “Okay, seriously, how are you doing that thing with your voice?”

“What, you mean the Blue Truth?” Battler asked, laughing slightly. “Oh, that's just something I do when presenting theories. If you think that's surprising, what until you hear someone use the **Red Truth**.”

The whole thing only served to confuse Bede, but he couldn't help but ask one last question. “And... what does the Red Truth stand for?”

“The Red Truth is an indisputable fact,” Battler answered. “An absolute fact that needs no external evidence to prove. It's also the only thing that can properly shoot down a Blue Truth.” Battler cupped his hands behind his head. “Well, don't worry about them too much, okay? You'll see more of how that stuff works in the future.”

“That's... ominous,” Bede muttered.

Then, Battler stood up. “Well, I'd should probably get going now. Hotels to check in to, people to meet, you know.”

“Must be tough, being a region champion,” Bede muttered.

“Eh, it's not that bad,” Battler said absently as he began walking off. “Certainly beats the hell out of endlessly repeating murder mysteries based on your own family.”

“Wait, what?”

“Oh, and one last thing!” Battler yelled back. “If things start looking bad, just remember one thing: Don't ever stop thinking! Because once you do, it's all useless!”

At like the wind, he was gone. Bede could have sworn he'd only blinked before he lost sight of him.

“Don't ever stop thinking, huh?” Bede repeated. “Wonder what the context for that one was about.”

Shrugging, yet keeping that bit of wisdom in the back of his mind for safe keepings, Bede stood up, and began his search anew.

And like all journeys, this one began with him immediately bumping into another person.

* * *

  
  


“Owowowowow!”

The sound of Keiichi Maebara complaining about the bandages that Shion was wrapping around his hand could be heard throughout the train car. “C'mon, Shion, that hurts!”

“Oh, stop being a baby, Kei-chan,” Shion responded. “This is your fault, you know. Honestly, thinking biting your own hand was a good idea.”

“Shion-san, please don't judge Keiichi-san too harshly,” Rika said cheerily. “Those were desperate times, sir.”

“Oh, don't try to act cute with me, young lady,” Shion said, bopping Rika on the head with the roll of bandages. “Your methods were pretty extreme too, little miss 'I'll just dig my nails deep enough into my own shoulder that I'll need stitches'.”

Rika let out a small 'mii' of shame. Rena patted her gently on the head. Off to the side, Hop, Satoshi, and Satoko watched the exchange. “You know, the more I hang around you guys, the more questions I get,” Hop said.

“I'm... honestly with you on that one, Hop-san,” Satoshi said. “From what everyone's told me, things have been quite... chaotic at home.”

“What do you mean 'at home'?” Hop asked. “Things have been plenty chaotic right here and now.”

“Hop-san's right, Nii-nii,” Satoko added. “I think it's more that trouble just seems to follow us wherever we go.”

Satoshi gave his sister an odd look. “That's... honestly kind of concerning.”

“Glad I'm not the only one to think that,” Hop muttered.

Then, someones phone rang. Naturally, everyone made to check theirs.

It was not Shion, as she didn't yet have a Rotom phone of her own. It wasn't Keiichi, Rena, Rika, or Satoshi, as they didn't have that many contacts.

It wasn't Hop's, either. He hadn't been on the phone to anyone since Leon a few days ago, either.

So, that only left Satoko's. And surprise surprise, it was her phone that was ringing.

“Oh! It's Bede-san,” she exclaimed.

“Bede? Man, we haven't seen him in days,” Keiichi stated. “Think his legs are doing okay?”

“If he's in Wyndon, then he'll probably be up and about by now,” Hop answered.

“Bede... that was the guy who looked after you when you first got to Galar, right Satoko?” Satoshi asked. “I certainly would like to meet him, if only to thank him.”

“I'm with you on that, Satoshi-kun,” Shion said, latching on to Satoshi's arm. “After all, why shouldn't he get thanks for Satoko's Nii-nii and Nee-nee?”

Satoshi seemed to blush quite intensely, as if picking up on some 'implications' of Shion calling herself 'Nee-nee'.

Satoko, for her part, seemed largely unimpressed by what she saw as blatant flirting. “Sonozaki-san, if you're going to flirt with Nii-nii, please at least get a room first,” she said flatly. “Alright, I'm answering it.”

Everyone crowded around Satoko as she pressed the 'pickup' button, and Bede's face came into view.

There was a brief pause on Bede's end, before he finally spoke. “There are more of you now,” he said. “I guess things have gone well on your end, Satoko?”

“Depends on your definition of 'well', Bede-san,” Satoko replied. “We did run into some trouble, to the point where _some of us_ thought it was a good idea to wound themselves to stave off sleep.”

There was a collection of responses to Satoko's sarcastic statement. Keiichi said “It was just the one hand”. Rena merely tried to apologise. Rika smiled, and Satoshi rubbed the back of his head. The phone moved slightly, and Bede got a good view at all the bandages that wrapped the four of them.

“Oh, good Arceus, you guys look like an absolute mess,” Bede said plainly. “I swear, you people are borderline insane.”

“Hey! Those 'borderline insane' people you're talkin' about happen to be my friends!” a new voice that, Hop noted, sounded eerily identical to Shion said loudly.

“Wait, that voice...” Keiichi muttered quietly in... shock, maybe? No, probably more just plain old surprise.

“Onee?!” Shion called out. “Onee, is that you?!”

“Wait, what does 'Onee' mean?” Hop asked. Then, as if to answer his question, someone pushed Bede out of the way. Someone who looked scarily identical to Shion.

“Mion!/Mii-chan!/Mii!/Mion-san!” exclaimed Keiichi, Rena, Rika, Satoko, and Satoshi (respectively).

“Good lord,” Hop muttered, “there's two of them.”

“O' course there's two of us!” the Sonozaki known as Mion stated. “The world's too cold and lonely to only be allowed one of the magnanimous old men that is the Sonozaki twins!”

“Glad to see you haven't changed, Onee,” Shion said happily. “By the way, can I ask you something?”

“What's up, Shion?”

“Onee... why are you wearing a skimpy chicken suit?”

At that point, everyone crowded around the phone finally noticed the two elephants in the room, those being Mion's outfit, and Bede's blushing. Mion's outfit was... well, calling it an 'outfit' would be too liberal. Hell, calling it a 'swimsuit' might even be a bit of a stretch. You could probably count the square inches her torso was covered by this feathered apparel on both hands, and end up with a finger or two left over.

Only Bede, Hop, and Satoshi seemed flustered by the look. Satoko looked more unamused by it, Rena seemed... intrigued, maybe? Rika and Keiichi, though, had a look of 'yeah, saw this coming at some point'.

“For the record,” Mion started, clearly not bothered by her attire, “it's a Combusken outfit. Can tell by the puffy leggings.”

“She's right, you know,” Hop interjected. “Playboy-Combusken's have been rather popular these days.”

All eyes quickly turned to Hop. “How do you know that?” Bede asked.

A beat of silence. “I don't wanna talk about it.”

“Hey, no judging over here,” Mion stated. “It's only natural for kids his age to be interested in such things. Besides, Shion can attest that this old man has a rocking bod.”

“Glad to see you've still got your self-confidence there,” Keiichi said. “So, you've been in Wyndon all this time?”

“That's right, Kei-chan,” Mion replied. “In fact, I've been working about half a dozen part time jobs for living expenses.”

“You mean, you couldn't have gone off on your own adventure?” Rena asked.

“The only route connected to Wyndon is Route 10,” Hop explained. “The Pokemon there are remarkably strong, so a beginner trainer would have a hard time getting through there.”

“What about the train?” Rena asked. “Couldn't Mii-chan just take the train to a different area?”

“Train fairs to Wyndon are remarkably expensive for non-league trainers,” Bede answered. “Plus, in cases of missing people, it's usually best for one party to remain in one location.”

“Ah! Like when a child is lost at an amusement park!” Rika said. “It's easier to find someone when they're not going to places you've already looked, after all!”

“See? Rika-chan has the right idea,” Mion stated. “Also, before I forget; Satoshi-kun! Good to see you again!”

“The feeling is mutual, Mion-san,” Satoshi replied with a smile. “I'm glad to see that you're... much the same as always.”

“Ah, so she was always a pervert,” Keiichi muttered. “Glad to have that cleared up finally.”

“You mean there was doubt about that?” Shion questioned.

“You're weird,” Bede said plainly. “You people are just plain weird.”

“Bede-san, you say that like you're not already one of us,” Satoko said. “Well, I've got news for you, buddy; you're already on the Christmas card.”

A strange silence fell on that last comment. The only ones who seemed more bewildered that sad by the Christmas comment were Hop, Satoshi, and Bede, though Hop felt as though he had an idea what caused it.

“So... there's been no sign of her down there?” Mion asked.

“No. Nothing in the Tundra,” Rika answered sadly. “Our lead has led us to believe that, if anywhere, Hanyu might be in Wyndon.”

“Really?! Are you sure?” Mion shouted, grabbing the phone rather harshly. “Can you trust this lead?”

“Avery's a good guy. He'd never deliberately mislead us,” Keiichi answered firmly. “He was the one who pointed us to the Crown Tundra, and even predicted Satoshi being there, even if we didn't think he'd be.”

“Then he's quite credible, then,” Mion surmised, releasing the phone. “Alrighty, then! Until you guys get here, Bee-chan and I will be on the lookout for our final member!”

“Wait, 'Bee-chan'?” Bede asked in shock. “Is that me?”

“Talk to ya'll later!”

And like that, the phone hung up. A pregnant silence filled the group.

“Well,” Hop spoke up, “she seemed fun.”

* * *

  
  


Back in Wyndon, Bede gave Mion Sonozaki an odd look.

“Well, I thank you for at least putting a jacket on over your... attire,” Bede said quietly, “but what was all that about? Just... hanging up like that?”

Mion, now wearing what was best described as a trench-coat rather than a jacket, sat down on the bench and looked at Bede. “Tell me, have the others told you about Hanyu Furude?”

“Hanyu... Furude,” Bede repeated. “Today's the first I've heard that name. Are they related to Rika?”

“Somehow,” Mion answered, then laughed. “You know, the funny thing is, nobody aside from Rika-chan and Hanyu-chan know just _how_ they're related. All we really know is that they've been together for longer than humanly possible. Those kids were the world to each other. Hell, even after the rest of us learnt just what those two had been through, Hanyu-chan was the only one Rika-chan would openly confide in.”

“I see. So, because she's been separated from Hanyu, Rika's mood is more dour?”

“In a way, but it's not quite that simple,” Mion said darkly. “Because the thing is, Hanyu Furude disappeared on December 25th, yet for us, we only arrived her July 3rd. Get what I'm saying?”

“Yeah, I hear you,” Bede answered. “You're saying that she's been missing for longer than you've been here. So, they're just not wanting to get their hopes up, then?”

“That's what I think, at least,” Mion said. “Tell me; from your perspective as a newbie, do you think Hanyu-chan is here, Bee-chan?”

_'Guess I'm stuck as Bee-chan now,'_ Bede thought to himself. “While I can't say this with absolute certainty, I do believe there's a good chance she's here,” Bede answered. “Psychic type trainers, especially professional level ones, are renowned for their foresight. If one says that 'danger is here' or 'you'll find what you're looking for there', then 9 times out of 10, they'll be right. Hell, Avery's prediction was that there were two people in both the Crown Tundra, and here in Wyndon, and Rika managed to prove that right in regards to the Tundra, didn't she?”

“So, you think she's here, just based on track record?” Mion smiled. “Yeah, I can get behind that thinking. Glad to know those guys managed to pick up at least one sensible thinker for the group.”

“Well, someone has to be, considering the state they were in,” Bede muttered.

Then, something hit both him and Mion in the side of the head. A small golden pebble goes 'tick' on the ground.

No, not a golden pebble. A piece of yellow hard candy.

“The heck?” Mion asked. She looked in the direction she believed they had come from, and saw a small glimpse of something pink and yellow going around the corner.

“Who was that?” Bede asked. “Were they trying to get our attention?”

“Most likely,” Mion said, “and it worked too. Come on, Bee-chan! Let's see who it was!”

Mion ran off first, with Bede close behind her, still complaining about being called 'Bee-chan'.

Rounding the corner, they could barely make out the figure in pink in the crowd. What that could see, though, seemed to defy logic.

“Isn't that... Satoko?” Bede asked. “But... how is she here? We were literally just on the phone with her!”

“You're guess is as good as mine, buddy,” Mion stated. “Come on! This needs investigating, Bee-chan!”

* * *

  
  


Every corner they turned, it felt as if they were only barely managed to keep up with this... not-Satoko. Anti-Satoko? … Antiko. We'll call them Antiko for now.

When Bede and Mion arrived in the main square, they barely saw Antiko as they turned around another corner. Around that same corner, and they could barely make them out between the treeline going towards the river.

Once they reached the riverside, though, there was nothing.

No humans, no Pokemon, not even the wind was present.

“What the hell?” Bede muttered. “How'd we lose them?”

“It's... quiet, too,” Mion noted. “Too quiet. Why can't I hear anyone from the square?”

“Consider it one of those 'Bounded Fields' a certain universe is so fond of,” a new voice said. From a rogue shadow, a girl of short stature, dressed in pink with blonde hair and red eyes, stepped out. “In fact, it's best not to expect anyone to interrupt us until I bring it down, okay?”

“Satoko?” Mion asked, before a sceptical look overcame her face. “No. You look like her, but...”

“Satoko, eh?” the girl asked, before breaking into a haughty 'oh ho ho' laugh. “I don't personally know this 'Satoko', but she sounds like a very classy lady!”

“She even sounds like Satoko,” Bede muttered. “Who are you?”

“Who am I, you ask?” the girl repeated. “I am none other than the magnificent, magnanimous, beautiful, ladylike, all-powerful Voyager Witch of Certainty! I am... the great Lady Lambdadelta!”

There was a beat of silence, as Bede and Mion stared at this girl, Lambdadelta, in bewilderment.

“Mion, are you sure she's not part of your group?” Bede asked. “Because personally, she sounds like she'd fit right in.”

“Fun as that sounds,” Mion replied, “this is the first time I've met this kid.”

Lambdadelta's expression quickly became one of shock. “Are you guys for real?! Weren't you totally blown away by my awesome-cool intro??!”

Bede and Mion shared a brief glance, before they forced themselves to smile. “Oh... oh yeah! It was... was totally...” Mion tried to say sincerely, yet struggled.

“Don't... Please,” Lambadelta interrupted dejectedly. “If there's anything worse than a failed attempt at cool, it's the pity that comes afterwards.”

This time, it was Bede and Mion's turns to look dejected. “Sorry about that,” Bede apologised. “But, if you don't mind me asking, what was that stuff about 'Voyager Witch of Certainty'?”

Lambdadelta (you know what? We're just calling her Lambda in the narration from hereon) quickly hopped back into a brighter mood. “Well, kid, I'll forgive you for at least paying attention to the intro,” she said. “I, the great Lady Lambdadelta, am the one who governs the providence of Certainty! Should I wish it, I can turn the odds of anything happening infinitely close to zero, or 'beyond a shadow of a doubt' certain to happen! As for the 'Voyager' part, well, it's exactly what you'd think it means, but not on the scope you think.”

“You... control probability?” Mion questioned in disbelief. “And... 'not the scope you think'... does that mean... you travel through multiverses?”

Lambda made figure guns in Mion's direction. “You catch on quickly, greenie,” she said, “and thanks to that rocking bod of yours, you've quickly become my fourth favourite woman. Right behind Bern, Beato, and Ange.”

Mion looked at her in bewilderment once more, then shrugged. “I dunno who those three are, but I'll take a complement where I can.”

“So, wait. You can travel dimensions?” Bede asked, attempting to get back on topic. “How? And, does that mean you have something to do with Rika and the others being here?”

“To answer in order, shorty,” Lambda began. “One: It's magic, so I don't gotta explain shit. And two... Well, it might be easier on you both if I say it like this: **I was not involved in Rika Furude, Satoko and Satoshi Houjou, Rena Ryuuguu, Keiichi Maebara, and Mion and Shion Sonozaki being in Galar**. That help ya?”

Mion looked particularly shocked. “What... the heck was that? What happened to your voice?”

Bede, however, recalled what that was. “The Red Truth,” he muttered. “An irrevocable fact that doesn't need further elaboration.”

“Ah, you already know about those?” Lambda asked. “Good, that saves some time.”

“Then, if you weren't involved in us being here, then why...”

“Think of it as me passing the time,” Lambda answered, holding her hands behind her head. “The life of a witch is long and boring. Ya gotta find some way to pass the time, and unfortunately, playing violently with you humans seems to be _frowned upon_ by some people. So, instead, I've been giving a bit of a helping hand to you guys.”

“Helping us? How?” Bede asked.

Then, Lambda grinned. “Well, recall how massive your little 'accident' was? Don't you ever wonder how you managed to survive that, no, come out of it in one piece?”

Shock filled Bede's mind. “You mean... I survived because you _lowered the chances of me dying to near zero_?”

“Bingo!” Lambda shouted. “But that's not all I've done! I also skewed the odds of that blondies prediction being right in your favour as well!”

Bede found it hard to believe, really. But, the truth of it was really right in front of him. “Then, that must mean... that Hanyu Furude is here, right?”

Then, Lambdadelta clapped twice. “Bingo! You really know how to follow along, Buzz.”

“Bede.”

“Whatever! In fact, I'll give it my guarantee: **The eight from Hinamizawa will reunite by the end of the day with absolute certainty**.”

Another Red Truth. Yet, this time, something in the back of Bede's mind was ringing alarm bells.

“... Repeat one last thing, though,” Bede said. “Repeat 'The eight from Hinamizawa will reunite alive, nor will they be in the process of dying'.”

Lambda looked shocked, then she grinned in amusement. “Alright. **The eight from Hinamizawa will reunite alive, nor will they be in the process of dying**. I see you've taken a few lessons from Battler.”

“'Don't stop thinking'. That's what he told me,” Bede answered, unsurprised that Lambda knew Battler.

“Good advice to take.” With that said, Lambdadelta turned around. “Well, I've taken up enough of your time now. You kids probably want to get back to hunting now.”

With a snap of her finger, Lambdadelta vanished in a flash of light, and all the sound returned, as if it had never left.

“What the hell?” Mion asked. “No seriously, what the hell just happened?”

“I... can't say for certain,” Bede answered. “But, I think we can at least take what she said at face value.”

“You sure? That all seemed rather cryptic to me.”

“I think that's just how witches work. Still, it's as good a lead as any.”

Mion pondered the idea for a while, then smiled. “Ya know what? Sure, I'm game.” She wrapped an arm around Bede's shoulders. “Let's get crazy in our search for the missing Hanyu!”

Silence followed. “You're suppose to go 'OHH!!' after that, Bee-chan,” Mion said plainly.

“O... ohh?” Bede said weakly.

* * *

  
  


It was five-thirty of the clock, and all was well on Route Ten.

Of course, that was only because Team Rika, as they had taken to calling themselves, were in particularly high spirits.

As they crested the final hill to Wyndon, all seven of them breathed sighs of relief.

“Finally, the end is in sight,” Keiichi muttered. “God damn it, I'm tired.”

That feeling, as it was, was shared by a three of the six others present. Those three were Rena, Rika, and Satoshi, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

“See, this is what happens when you force severe blood-loss on yourselves,” Hop said, sounding like a disappointed parent. “I get that you guys are use to extreme measures and all that, but there are limits for a reason.”

Rika gave Hop a look that said she knew what she was about to say was probably stupid, and/or deliberately wrong. In short, she grinned mischeviously. “Limits are made to be broken! Nippah!”

“No!” Hop called back. At this point, Rika had begun running down the hill, with Hop closely behind her, and after a bit of laughter, so was the rest of the group.

“It's kind of amazing, in a way,” Satoshi muttered. “Two years I've been gone, and yet, this all feels just right.”

“I know what you mean,” Shion replied. “Heck, even Hop-san feels like he belongs as a part of this group. We've only known him for a day, yet now I can't imagine life without him among us.”

Satoshi smiled warmly. “Yeah. That Bede guy, too. Do you think Satoko might like him?”

Satoko, who was just a little behind them, stammered in surprise. “Wh... what are you saying, Nii-nii?!”

“What? It's a compliment on his part,” Satoshi defended himself. “I'm just saying that, if it came to it, I would not be against him becoming my...”

“Stop!” Shion shouted. “I get you're eager to go back to being the doting brother you were, Satoshi-kun, but there's a line that needs to be drawn!” Shion flourished her hand dramatically (while still running). “I, for one, am not prepared for such a thing! Not until we can be sure that Bede-san is an upstanding gentleman!”

Rena and Keiichi caught up behind the trio. “What are we talking about?” Rena asked.

“Obviously, it's about the potential of Satoko and Bede,” Keiichi stated, grinning widely. “More specifically, it's about them being...”

“K-k-k-k-k-Keiichi-san! Not another word!” Satoko shouted, whacking Keiichi over the head with... a washing tub?

Laughter filled the group once more. At this point, nothing was going to break their moods again.

* * *

  
  


They found Bede and Mion sitting on a park bench in the main square, looking utterly defeated.

“Are... are you guys okay?” Hop asked hesitantly.

“Mii... They look like they lost an important fight,” Rika added.

“I guess... we kinda did,” Bede said weakly.

“Sorry, guys... looks like... we couldn't quite make the cut,” Mion added.

“Onee, what happened to you guys?” Shion asked. “You look like you've been running around all day.”

“We were,” Mion answered.

“We... got another tip-off,” Bede continued. “From someone with... let's call it 'supernatural credibility'. Said that we'd find the last one with absolute certainty.”

“Absolute certainty?” Rika repeated. Something about that statement sent alarm bells ringing in her head.

“Yeah, some girl that looked like Satoko. Had a weird name too,” Mion said. “What was it again? Lamb... Lambsomething...”

“Lambdadelta,” Bede corrected. “If I recall correctly, she also called herself a witch.”

Rika's mind slowly began to tune the conversation out. 'Lambdadelta'. She knew that name. Why did it have to be that name? A memory from a dark corner of her mind threatened to rear its head.

Then, the sound of footsteps.

No one else seemed to hear them. Yet the presence was... wrong.

“ _Still trying to forget about me?_ ” a voice said. It was a voice that lacked warmth, compassion, enthusiasm, and above all else, spoke of evil. “ _Even though I'm the part of you that is so much more?_ ”

The voice came from behind her, yet Rika dared not turn around. What would happen if she did? Would this be a classic case of Oyashiro-sama? Or, would turning around and acknowledging this beings existence give it more power?

“No. You're not real,” she muttered quietly. “You're not here, and you're not a part of me. Not anymore.”

“ _Ah, how cruel of you,_ ” the voice said, showing now sign of emotion. “ _Even though I'm the better half of us? The half that let you survive those long centuries?_ ”

“For centuries, maybe. But not now. Now, I am living my own life, one without the likes of _you_. I swore I'd cast aside your name, and after coming so far, I won't ever be using it again.”

“ _Cruel indeed,_ ” the voice continued. “ _You would throw away your standing as the Witch of Miracles? You would throw away the one girl who could truly understand you?_ ”

A hand made its way to her shoulder, carrying a light, almost sensual touch. Startled, Rika pivoted, slapping the hand away.

Someone was behind her, yet instead of the spectre she expected, it was a familiar boy with white hair.

“Whoa! That was... quite the reaction,” Victor said. “You alright there, Rika?”

“Vic!” Hop called out. “Mate, I haven't seen you in yonks!”

“Right back at you, Hop,” Victor replied. “I'm glad to see you're holding up alright.”

His words sounded jovial enough, but Rika saw the unnatural glint in his eyes, coupled with the old scabs on his neck.

A fearful thought made its way into her mind. She had to get out of there, and she had to do so yesterday.

She quickly made for one of the branching paths as inconspicuously as she could.

“Rika? Where are you going?” Satoko asked.

“Toilet,” she said back. Such an answer was, to just about every male and a good portion of females, a completely innocent thing step away from a group for.

But, in some cases, a coded message.

* * *

  
  


Rika did not go to the toilets. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure where they were in this town.

Rather, Rika now found herself at the edge of the river that ran through the middle of Wyndon. The sound of the water served to calm her nerves, if only slightly.

“What is going on now?” she asked herself. “Why... why is that person back again, after I tried so hard to cast them aside?”

“Rika?” the voice of Satoko called out. Rika turned around, too see... only Satoko.

Rika let out a small sigh of relief. “Guess I made a bit of a scene there, huh?” she asked quietly.

Satoko looked deep in thought for a moment, before answering. “A little,” she said, “but if you want a worse example, just look at me.” Rika shot her a disapproving glare. “Sorry,” Satoko replied sheepishly. “I forget you don't like talking about 'those times'.”

“It's... more than just that,” Rika said hesitantly. “It's... I don't like you guys having to think back on 'those times'. I... always thought Hanyu and I would be the only ones to carry that burden.”

This time, Satoko returned the disapproving look. “That's not fair, Rika,” she said plainly. “We all promised to share the burden, didn't we?”

“I know that,” Rika said, gripped the hem of her dress. “I know that, but... This burden, it's too much. I... I was only able to survive by closing off my heart. If I told you everything... I fear my heart might just break.”

For the first time since she met up with Rena, tears began to fall from Rika's eyes. A dam that had been kept up by little more than spit and determination had finally burst.

Knowledge of Rika's history was normal for them, but never had anyone been given a full look into just how deep those wounds were.

Satoko enacted her natural reaction, and held Rika in a tight embrace. It was the sort of situation where words would do less good, so really it was the only option left for her.

The embrace lasted for what felt like an eternity, yet on paper, it was only about two minutes. What cut the hug so short was...

a slow clapping.

“I must say, these sappy moments are quite enjoyable from time to time,” an older, haughty womans voice said. “Then again, without love in the world, the truth cannot be understood.”

Both girls turned, not letting go of each other, to see a tall woman with golden-blonde hair, dressed in a dark dress, with a smoke pipe in one hand.

Instincts told Satoko that this woman was dangerous in a way she had never experienced before. Memories from a life far removed from Hinamizawa, on an entirely different plane of existence, told Rika that Satoko's feeling was right.

“Oh? You're going to play cautious?” the woman said. “And here I thought we were friends. Well, with liberal use of the word 'friends'.”

“Why... why are you here?” Rika asked, putting herself between the woman and Satoko. “This world, it shouldn't have anything to do with ours. So, how are you, who should be trapped inside that catbox, here now?”

The woman let out an ominous cackle. “Come now. Is that any way to treat an old friend? Or, more to the point, the one who brought you into this world?!”

“What?” Satoko questioned. “You... brought us to Galar? How?”

The woman cackled once more. “Such a matter is trivial for I, the Endless Witch!” she stated bombastically, before quietly adding “also thanks in part to Lady Lambdadelta elevating Battler and I to the status of Voyager, but whatever.”

“Then, the more important question,” Rika said. “Why? Why did you do all this? What do you have to gain from bringing the eight of use to Galar from Hinamizawa, from a time before you even existed, Golden Witch Beatrice?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning. Code 1986 discovered. Situation 'Hijacked by Umineko' has been confirmed.  
> Once again, I'll just reiterate that I did always have designs on including Umineko in this story. Hell, it's the main reason I binged the VN.  
> It's just that... I didn't think it would impact this much.  
> Well, tally-ho!


	10. Truth Unravelled

Back in the main area, everyone else waited patiently for Rika and Satoko's return.

Several conversations had broken out among the group, yet Bede took part in none of them. Instead, his thoughts were occupied by something wholly darker.

Simply put, something about Victor was bothering him. Despite having not been part of the group until now, and in fact, he hadn't been in contact with Hop at all, yet he seemed to be trying to fit into the group as if it were the only natural thing for him to do.

This wouldn't have been weird under normal circumstances, but the fact that he kept wanting to go after Rika really bothered Bede.

Sure, Bede was bothered by the fact that Rika's mood was so shaken by the mention of Lambdadelta, but he knew that he, with his lack of knowledge about their lives, that Satoko had the best chance of helping her.

It was starting to feel as if he had an unhealthy obsession with the girl. Bede wouldn't call himself an expert on the opposite sex, but he was fairly certain they weren't fond of the obsessed types nine times out of ten.

Something about that thought nagged at Bede's mind. What was it? What was it about Victor's single-minded fascination with Rika that had Bede so bothered?

“ _Don't stop thinking,”_ the words of Battler echoed though his head. If he were to stop thinking now, then it would all be over.

“Something bothering you?” the voice of Hop asked, as the speaker took a seat next to Bede. “You look deep in thought there, mate.”

“Yeah, but I can't quite put my finger on it,” Bede answered. “What about you? You're looking rather bothered yourself.”

Hop gave a nervous laugh. “Ah, so you noticed.”

Then, Keiichi leaned over the back of the bench. “Buddy, it's written all over your face,” he said.

“Keiichi-san is right, Hop-san,” Satoshi added, taking a seat on Bede's other side. “I know it sounds rich coming from me, but it's important to get things off your chest.”

“Wait, what?” Bede asked. “What do you mean 'rich coming from you'? I know about the whole 'alternate memories' thing, but...”

“Actually,” Satoshi muttered, looking rather sheepish, “it's more to do with the fact that I'm guilty of first degree murder.”

…. Oh.

“What,” Bede said plainly. “No seriously, what? Did... you just confess?”

“Hey, in his defence,” Keiichi interrupted, “it was their aunt, and word is, she was a bitch.”

“What do you mean 'word is'?” Satoshi replied almost sarcastically.

There was an odd silence between the two Galarian trainers as they watched the Hinamizawans have a game of playful verbal tennis.

“Strangely enough, I'm use to this sort of thing now,” Hop said. “These guys are messed up in more ways than one.”

“No... no kidding,” Bede muttered. “So, I'm just going to ask you, Hop; was Victor... always so single minded?”

“Going right for the throat, eh?” Hop asked. “Well, you're not wrong that it's bothering me. It's... not completely new, but it's never been this bad.”

“Can you explain more?” Keiichi asked.

“Well, Vic's always been kinda the centre of attention,” Hop answered. “I mean, look at him; red eyes, white hair, he's basically a walking embodiment of anime protagonist tropes. Usually, he doesn't let the attention get to his head, but I could always tell he enjoyed it.”

“So, not an attention seeker, so much as an attention enjoyer,” Bede summerised.

“Yeah. Though, after Rika showed up, he changed somewhat,” Hop continued. “You've noticed how... odd the hair and eye colour combos are for everyone from Hinamizawa is, right?”

To prove Hop's point, Bede turned his attention to Keiichi and Satoshi. Brown and violet, and blonde and red/brown. “Yeah, I can see.”

“Well, a part of me gets the feeling he's... not too chapped getting overlooked as he is. Actually, now that I think about it, he really began to change around the opening ceremony, right after he caught that Duskull.”

Just then, something in Bede's mind finally clicked. “It couldn't be...” he muttered.

Before the guys could ask him what was wrong, Rena called out. “Keiichi-kun! Guys! We're going to wait at the hotel for Rika-chan and Satoko-chan!”

“We'll be right there!” Keiichi called back. “You guys coming.”

“You guys go on ahead,” Satoshi stated, placing a hand on Bede's shoulder. “I'd like to take the chance to talk with Bede-san some more.”

“Gotcha, we'll leave you to it,” Hop said. “Oh, and Bede? I'm glad to see you're doing well.”

“Thanks, Hop,” Bede replied. “And, if you're still feeling some level of guilt over what happened, then... I'll forgive you, alright?”

Hop flinched slightly, but smiled none-the-less.

Then, it was just Bede and Satoshi left. “So,” Bede started, “what did you want to talk about?”

Satoshi gave him a serious look. “You figured something out, didn't you?” he asked. “You had the look of a detective reaching his eureka moment a second ago.”

“So you noticed,” Bede said. “I trust you heard about the incident Keiichi, Satoko, and I were caught up in?” Satoshi nodded in response. “Well, I think I might have just pieced together who the culprit was.”

* * *

  
  


Rika would say she was one who could stand up to adversity when it showed itself. Considering she was currently between her best friend and a massively powerful being that might be considered her antithesis, though, she couldn't be faulted for feeling nervous.

No. Nervous was too weak a word for it. Rika Furude was scared, pure and simple.

The woman before them, the Golden Witch Beatrice, let out a sigh of disappointment. “So, you'd don't trust me, then,” she said quietly. “Can't blame you, considering you're a fragment of Lady Bernkastel. I guess a dislike for me runs as deep as your bones, Rika Furude.”

“Bernkastel?” Satoko repeated, puzzled. “Rika, what is she talking about.”

Rika looked Satoko in the eyes, and the later noticed the obvious hesitation. What should Rika say?

“It's... a name I abandoned long ago,” she decided to say. Upfront about the issue, but still mild vague. “A name from when I had given up hope.”

“Oh? So that's the story from your perspective?” Beatrice commented. “Interesting. Very interesting!”

Rika's brow twitched furiously. “Enough playing games! What do you want with us, Beatrice?!”

Beatrice raised her hands in defence. “No need to yell!” she called out. “Geez, and after Battler and I went through the effort of bringing you kids to our favourite getaway Fragment, this is the thanks I get?”

“Wait, you're the reason we're here?” Satoko shouted. “Why? Why did you bring us here?!”

Then, Beatrice had a look of bewilderment on her face, as if the answer was obvious. “You haven't figured that out?” she asked. “We brought you here mainly because it's where your missing piece is.”

“Our missing piece?” Rika repeated, shock dawning on her. “You mean you having something to do with Hanyu's disappearance?!”

At this point, Rika had grabbed Beatrice by the collar. How one so short was able to do that to one as tall as her, no one could say.

“Whoa! Easy there!” Beatrice stammered, managing to pry Rika's grip from her clothing. “Geez, you're aggressive. Better than cold hearted, anyway.”

“Stop dodging the question!” Rika yelled again.

“Alright! Calm down already!” Beatrice cleared her throat quickly. “First, let me clarify one thing. **Neither Battler nor myself brought Hanyu Furude to Galar**. Is that acceptable for you?”

Satoko flinch at the weird thing that happened to the womans voice, yet Rika only smirked. “A Red Truth, huh? Haven't heard one of those is a long time.”

“If you want to get technical, it's the first time this you has heard one,” Beatrice pointed out. “Now, what theory will you devise from that single truth?”

Rika thought for a moment. “Repeat it: Beatrice and Battler Ushiromiya are the only Witches/Warlocks in Galar.”

Beatrice smirked. “I refuse,” she said, “and for the exact reason you think.”

“Lambdadelta,” Rika spat.

“And I'll throw in a bonus truth for you,” Beatrice continued. “ **Lady Lambdadelta had nothing to do with you or the remaining six of your friends arriving in Galar**. She had already used this one for those two friends of yours.”

“R...Rika? What's going on?” Satoko asked, absolutely terrified. “What did she do to her voice?”

Rika looked at her friend with a face full of sympathy. “Sorry, Satoko,” she said softly. “This... is something that no normal human should have to be a part in. After all...” her voice grew dark once again, as she turned her attention back to Beatrice, “this is a Witch's Game.”

“On the contrary,” Beatrice said. “Think of this as more 'you interrogating me'.”

“An interrogation, then?” Rika smirked almost villainously. “Then, don't mind if I do!”

* * *

  
  


At the hotel, Keiichi, Rena, and Mion waited out front.

“They all seem to be taking their time,” Keiichi muttered. “Think anything's happened to them?”

“Hard to say, Kei-chan,” Mion said. “Then again, law enforcement here is actually quite competent. If they ended up getting mugged, then the muggers would have Arcanines down their throat by the end of the day.”

“That's reasuring, at least,” Rena added.

“So, what can you guys tell this old man about that Victor guy?” Mion asked. “He... seems a bit odd, if ya ask me.”

“It's the first time I've met him, honestly,” Keiichi answered. “What about you, Rena?”

“I only met him one time,” Rena said. “He struck me as an nice guy then, but right now he's... different. And I know I'm not the only one to notice his neck.”

“The scratch marks,” Keiichi muttered. “You don't think he's...”

“We can't rule it out just yet, Kei-chan,” Mion stated. “Much as I hate to admit it, it's not impossible that we brought Hinamizawa Syndrome here with us.”

* * *

  
  


“Help us?” Rika repeated in disbelief. “You'll forgive me if I don't believe that, even in red.”

“Well, that's your own problem, isn't it?” Beatrice replied with a smirk. “Besides, at the end of the day, it was Battler's idea. Surely you'd accept that?”

Rika pondered for a moment, then nodded. “True. I'd trust his word more than yours.”

Then, Beatrice's shoulders sagged sadly. With a sigh, she regained her composure. “Well, to answer the major question on your mind, the 'whydunit', then I'll just say this: **There is an individual not of Galar origin wanting to force you into despair**. This individual had plans to kill the one you know as Hanyu Furude on the 31st of December, 1983.”

“And that's where Lambdadelta comes in?” Rika asked. “I find it hard to believe that Lambdadelta, the Witch of Certainty who is, and pardon my language, horny as hell for my witch half, would go out of her way to save Hanyu, and thus myself.”

Beartice paused for a moment, then snickered. “Heh. Horny as hell. That's a very apt description on how she and Lady Bernkastel interact.” She quickly cleared her throat. “Be that as it may, Lady Lambdadelta does have a good degree of standards. Remember the Book of the One Truth?”

“I try not to.”

“But you get my point,” she continued. “As far as Witches go, Lady Lambdadelta is a gracious loser.” Beatrice smirked once more. “Well, one way or another, everything will come to a head tomorrow. Whether that child Battler and Lady Lambdadelta took a liking to has figured out the crime or not will only be icing on this cake.”

“That child? Who are you talking about?” Rika asked.

“I need not answer that!” Beatrice yelled. “All shall come to light tomorrow, and let me tell you, it shall be a treat on the eye!” With an echoed cackle, Beatrice vanished in a cloud of golden butterflies.

Satoko, whom remained in the background for that entire exchange, finally spoke up once more. “Rika? What the hell just happened?”

“Witches, Satoko,” Rika replied plainly. “It's best not to think about it. You'll just get a headache.”

“R... right,” Satoko hesitated. “But, what did she mean by 'all will come to light tomorrow'?”

“Knowing her, she probably has some kind of spectacle planned,” Rika answered. “Damn that Golden Witch. She just loves making a show out of the simplest of things. I'll at least forgive her for being good at it.”

Satoko hesitated slightly, seeing the very obvious signs of irritation on Rika. “Then, who's... Bernkastel?”

Rika paused for a moment, before letting out a sigh. It wasn't a sigh of irritation or anger, but one of inevitability and resignation.

“Frederika Bernkastel. She is... a part of me I wish never existed. A 'me' that was born from centuries of failing to save everyone. Or, maybe she was the 'me' that was there to begin with.”

Satoko noticed the glint of sadness in Rika's eyes. “Rika is Rika!” she shouted suddenly. “I won't pretend I understand all this 'Witch' business, but you are you! And, more than that, you're my best friend! Nothing will change that!”

“Satoko...” Rika said quietly. Then, she smiled warmly. “Thank you, really. I cannot put into words how much hearing that means to me.”

Satoko returned the smile. “Now, what say we join back up with the others? They're probably worried about us.”

* * *

  
  


On their way back to the main square, they spotted Bede and Satoshi heading their way.

“Ah, there you two are,” Satoshi said. “The others have already gone on to the hotel.”

“So that's what's going on,” Satoko stated. “How rude, to not wait for ladies.”

“What about you two?” Rika asked. “Why weren't you with them?”

“Bede-san had some ideas he needed to spitball, and I just happened to volunteer,” Satoshi answered.

“They weren't the sorts of ideas I wanted to throw around half baked,” Bede explained. “Now, though, I think I can use them.”

Rika was quick to catch on. “They're about one week ago, aren't they?”

Bede nodded, unsurprised that she had figured that out. “Yeah. I think I've found the truth of what happened, bitter though it may be.”

“Do you mind if I ask something, sir?” Rika asked. “Before you met up with Mii, did you meet a man named Battler Ushiromiya?”

“You know him?” Bede asked. “Yes, I did meet that man. He actually gave me some guidance in how to look at this case.”

Rika gave a small, inaudible chuckle. “Yes, that does sound like his work.” Then, her expression shifted back to cheerful. “You're also planning to reveal this all tomorrow, right?”

“You sure you're not a psychic trainer?” Bede asked. “Still, it's going to be a stressful event, that.”

As they talked, they arrived at the hotel, where they found Keiichi, Rena, and Mion waiting for them. “Ah! You guys are all here!” Mion called out. “Y'all took your time!”

“Sorry we took so long,” Rika replied cheerfully. “We all had a lot of things to discuss. Nippah!”

Before anyone could continue the conversation further, Mion embraced Rika. “God, I've missed hearing that sound,” she muttered, causing the others to laugh. “So, what bothered you? You know you can talk to this old man about anything.”

“What, only you?” Keiichi asked. “Don't go skimping on our credit, Mion.”

Laughter was shared amongst the seven. This was the sort of thing that they strived for. This simple, jovial joy.

“Why don't we head inside?” Rena offered. “It's starting to get a bit cold out now, isn't it? Isn't it?”

* * *

  
  


Fate works in mysterious ways. Sometimes a missed opportunity is as simple as being in the right place at the wrong time.

Think back to the opening ceremony. After the ceremony, many trainers, such as Bede, went on to the next town almost immediately, while some, like Hop and Victor, hung around in Motostoke. Rika had originally planned to skip Motostoke, and head straight on to Turffield. Had she not gotten caught up with Sonya, she might have, at the very least, been saved by a passing Bede, and in turn, met up with Satoko before Rena.

But, then again, there was one trainer who left the opening ceremony before Bede. A certain aloof trainer garbed in an old cloak. A trainer that had been ahead of the curb the entire time. When everyone was on their way to Stow-on-Side, they were already making their way to Circhester. They were bee-lining it while the other challengers were taking their time.

Had Rika managed to keep to her schedule, she would have met this trainer at some point. Their encounter was, in essence, one long line of 'wrong time'.

At least, until the sliding doors opened, and the two literally walk into each other. Right place, right time.

The immediate exchange of sounds could be best described as 'Thud', 'Mii!', 'Auau!'.

Both fell on their rears, yet neither tried to pick themselves up, as they immediately recognised their oppositions sound. How could they now, when those lines were burned into each others hearts?

They both looked up, and stared into each others eyes. “...Rika?” the hooded one asked. “Is... is that really you? I'm not going crazy again, am I?”

Rika stared at the trainer, no, the girl under the hood, at a loss of words. She felt as if her tongue had disappeared from her mouth. Those dark violet eyes that had a hint of red in the centre. That lavender hair that seemed almost ethereal. And, the hint of something else that gave her head a much wider frame.

And that voice. That damn voice that was unmistakable.

Rika slowly grabbed hold of the girls hood. The girl didn't flinch away, yet there was clear hesitation on part of both parties, as if an illusion would shatter into a million pieces the moment any further action was taken.

Dare she risk it? Dare she risk breaking the sweetest illusion her time in Galar has conjured to date?

No. This was something that had to be done, or the doubt might kill her. So, like taking a band-aid off, Rika flicked her wrist, and the hood fell off.

And underneath that hood, without question, was Hanyu Furude.

Tears that had hesitated to form broke free from both Rika's and Hanyu's eyes. Not long after, this reaction was shared with all others present.

There was no need for words, as they wouldn't have been able to do their feelings justice. To say they 'embraced each other' wouldn't be strong enough, yet neither the English nor Japanese lexicons had any words or phrases strong enough to properly convey the raw emotion, the unbridled joy, of this moment.

For those that loved Hinamizawa, and knew friendly company therein, this reunion of tears is for them. No, this reunion... is for you, dear observer.

* * *

  
  


From high up a nearby building, the Witch of Certainty watched as the reunion unfolded with a warm smile on her face.

A set of footsteps echoed behind her. “I thought I'd find you up here,” the voice of Battler Ushiromiya said. “Checking out the fruits of your labours?”

“Of course I am!” Lambdadelta stated. “What artist doesn't want to see the results of their hard work?”

Battler gave a small laugh. “True enough. Still, I'm surprised. I would have thought you'd have joined the side of putting that girl through hell. Don't you have a thing for Bernkastel?”

“Bern is Bern, and Rika is Rika,” she explained. “Also, I don't 'have a thing' for her, we 'are' a thing.”

Battler chuckled. “Well, if it helps you sleep at night.”

Lambdadelta punched him in the shin. “Piss off, you. Don't you have that big game to prepare for?”

“Oh, I'm all set for that,” Battler replied. “It's the perfect trap for her. She may be a good rival, but I'm still gonna teach her a lesson about stepping on to other peoples game boards without permission.”

“And what a board it is!” Lambda stated. “Seriously, what made you and Beato make a board so heavily dipped in the pool of fantasy? You went and created, like, a thousand different creatures!”

“Haven't quite broken the big thousand yet,” Battler stated. “Beato and I designed this board as, simply put, a sort of holiday home. Something for us to have some fun with between our games.”

“A game between games, huh?” Lambda said. “Bet you used this place as your honeymoon destination, didn't you?”

“Only if you call 'speedrunning different leagues to see who becomes champion first' a honeymoon.”

Lambdadelta broke into laughter. “Ha! That sounds like the sort of thing you kids would get up to!”

“Hey, it beats the hell out of getting our kicks from beating other people down!” Battler laughed in response.

The two looked up towards the sky that gradually filled with stars. “Tomorrow, huh?” Lambda said quietly. “You two better put on a good show, you hear? Otherwise those kids might not get the right idea, and more importantly, I'll be super pissed!”

“You got it,” Battler replied. “In return, though, I'll be expecting a standing ovation if it's to your liking.”

* * *

  
  


The following day, outside the Wyndon Stadium, the good folks from Hinamizawa -all eight of them- and their plus two were gathered, and what a gathering it was. It was easily the happiest Rika, and really, any of them, had been in days.

“Auau, I've really missed this,” Hanyu said, breathing a sigh of relief as she metaphorically melted into Rika's arms (between the reunion and now was roughly nine hours. Of those hours, Hanyu and Rika had spent five of them refusing to let go of each other). “I've been on my own for so long, I feared I was beginning to think Hinamizawa was just a distant dream.”

“We wouldn't allow that to happen,” Rika said cheerfully. “The very moment you give up, we'll just...”

“We'll just claw our way here and remind you!” Keiichi interrupted.

Rika pouted dramatically. “Keiichi-san! Please don't steal my lines!”

Off to the side, Satoko snapped her fingers, and a wash tub somehow, inexplicably, materialised in midair, landing directly on Keiichi's head. No, no one was sure just how she managed that.

“Hanyu-chan, you're going to finish the Gym Challenge, aren't you?” Mion asked. “Ya know, since you've already come so far in it?”

“That is the plan, Mion-san,” Hanyu answered. “I originally joined it as an excuse to travel Galar, and hopefully find you guys. If not that, then getting my face on TV would be the next best thing.”

“That's... actually a very good plan,” Satoshi stated. “On top of that, you could easily use the subsequent interviews to get knowledge of our existences out there.”

“Leave it to one of the Furude's to come up with such a big brained plan,” Shion stated. “You girls really know how to pull through when push comes to shove!”

Off to the side, Bede and Hop watched the lively interactions between the eight. “Is this what being a third wheel feels like?” Hop asked. “Because I'm really feeling like one.”

“Oh, good,” Bede said, “it's not just me.” He took a look around the area. “Say, where's that friend of yours? I'd have thought he'd be here.”

“Pretty sure he went on ahead,” Hop answered. “Can't exactly say why, though. You'd think he'd want to be a part of this big reunion.”

“Yeah... I'm sure he would have,” Bede muttered.

“By the way, Hanyu,” Rika spoke up, “who backed you for the Gym Challenge? If I recall, you'd need an endorsement in order to partake, right?”

“Oh, yes!” Hanyu stated, as if only just recalling. “I really do think you'll like him, too! He reminds me of Akasaka-san, only... boisterous.”

“A boisterous Akasaka-san?” Satoko mused. “That certainly sounds like a sight.”

“Satoko, you're probably going to have to elaborate,” Satoshi spoke up, “because Bede, Hop, and I don't know who that is.”

“Akasaka Mamoru,” Shion answered. “He's a police officer from Tokyo. Actually, he was also around during the dam wars as an investigator.”

“Akasaka-san is also the one who helped us during our time of need,” Rika said, with a... surprising amount of eagerness. “Not only does he have a strong sense of justice, but he's great in a fight, too!”

“Oh? You're certainly eager about this guy,” Hop noticed.

“Of course she is,” Keiichi grinned. “After all, Akasaka-san is Rika's first crush.”

Then, for the first time since they were part of the group, Bede and Hop saw Rika get flustered. It was very amusing.

“So, someone who's like Akasaka, huh?” Mion asked, putting the topic back on track. “Does anyone know anybody like that? Aside from Hanyu-chan, in any case?”

“Actually, someone does spring to mind,” Rena said. “I think it might be someone like...”

“ME!”

A loud, boisterous voice shouted. On top of that, it was also one that a select few people present recognised. A tall, dark skinned man in hiking gear, could be seen approaching them with a grandiose amount of swagger, followed by a high-school aged girl. “What hap's, y'all! Peony is in da house!”

“Peony?!” everyone shouted, with various inflections of shock and awe. Mostly, it was the general surprise from those that knew him (Keiichi, Rena, Rika, Hop, and Satoshi), but there was some confusion in the mix (Mion, mostly), alongside eagerness (Hanyu) and bewilderment (Bede).

“You mean, you were endorsed by the previous champion to Leon, Steel Peony?” Bede uttered. “No wonder your pace in the challenge was so fast.”

Peonia, the girl with Peony, quickly approached Hanyu. “Hanyu! Good to see you again!” she said eagerly. “We'd have been here sooner, but Dad here was quite insistent on his vacation plans.”

“Eh?! Nia, are you saying there were problems with Papa's super-mega vacation plans?!”

Laughter broke out among the group. “Glad to see you're the same as ever, Peony-san,” Satoshi stated.

“And I'm glad to see you're still doing well, Nii,” Peony replied. “Oh, right. You're back to going by Satoshi.”

Amicable conversations broke out, before Hanyu checked her watch and let out a startled 'Auau'.

“I need to get ready for the finals!” she shouted. “Rika, everyone, will you be there to watch it?”

“Of course we will,” Rika answered for everyone. “Why wouldn't we? This is a battle you have chosen, so it's only fair that we give you the backing you deserve!”

Surprisingly (or perhaps not), Hanyu began to tear up. “Everyone...”

Before, Hanyu was motivated solely by the possibility of being reunited with them by getting her face known region-wide. Now that she had effectively achieved her mission, she technically didn't need to continue with this last stretch of the Gym Challenge.

… But where's the fun in that?

* * *

  
  


“Welcome, one and all!” current reigning champion Leon shouted into the microphone to the crowd of Wyndon Stadium. “Thank you all for coming to the first day of the Galar Grand Finals!”

An overwhelming amount of cheers erupted from the crowd.

“And what a league it's been, too,” Leon's co-commentator, Rose, followed up. “This year, it's been a long string of strange happenings and emotional turmoil. However, we have still managed to pull through, and make it here today!”

From the VIP seats down near the front of the crowd, Rika looked around in awe. “What an amazing amount of energy,” she muttered.

“Of course it is,” Hop said. “The league finals are quite possibly the biggest yearly event in the region.”

“But before we get to the main event, we've prepared one last surprise!” Leon stated. “Two of my fellow champions from different regions have come here today to give you good folks an exhibition match the likes of which you've never seen before!”

“So that's the big surprise that guy mentioned,” Bede muttered.

“Not only are they champions of their regions, they are also two longstanding rivals in every field they've competed in,” Rose continued. “Chess wizards, masters of closed room mysteries, even fencing is not out of their repertoire.”

“Their style of battle is quite far from the league standard, but damn if they don't know how to make it a show! Now, what say we introduce them?” Leon said. “Coming from the left corner: she's a wonder with dark and psychic type Pokemon, with a unique slice of sadism and charm mixed in. The current Kalos champion: Golden Beatrice!”

A streak of light, coloured pink and gold, cut through the air like a treasured sword. Coming to a halt at one end of the arena was the Legendary Pokemon Cresselia, and on its back sat the elegant figure of Beatrice, the Golden Witch.

“Oh, you've got to be kidding me,” Rika muttered bitterly. “ _She_ is the one who owned Cresselia?”

“And in the right corner,” Rose continued, “we have the current champion of the Indigo League of Kanto and Johto. He's a pro of psychic and fighting types, and has a fiery passion that's befitting of his name. Give it up for: Endless Battler!”

A fiery ball fell from the sky. From the flames that surrounded its point of impact, a red haired man in a black cloak stepped out, followed by the Pokemon Blaziken. That man was, without question, Battler Ushiromiya, the Endless Sorcerer.

Rika now bore a look of surprised exasperation. “You have got to be kidding me with this shit,” she said. “As if having one of them here on the board wasn't bad enough, but both? Maybe it's not too late to go fragment hopping once more.”

Bede took a worried glance at Rika, and wondered if she had some history with the two.

“The rules for this exhibition match are as follows,” Rose continued. “Both trainers are allowed one Pokemon each, but the gimmick of this battle will cause their stats to rise and fall as the fight goes on.”

“And this battles gimmick is...” Leon paused, for dramatic effect, “closed room mysteries!”

Rika slapped herself on the forehead. “Of course it would be,” she muttered. “How could it be anything else?”

Battler and Beatrice stared each other down intensely. “I trust you have your closed room all set up, Battleeeer?” Beatrice said, drawing out Battler's name in a haughty fashion. “It won't be quite as fun, otherwise!”

“No need to look down on me, Beato,” Battler replied. “I've got your closed room right here!”

Then, the two turned to face one side of the stadium. “Alright, you kids in the audience!” they both shouted. While it looked as if they were addressing the people at large, Rika noticed the simple fact: They were addressing her and her group. “This is how you confront the truth in a way that matters, so take notes!”

Then, the two turned back to face each other. “Chairman?” Battler called out. “Could you get us started, then?”

“Of course,” Rose responded. “Now, without further ado, let the exhibition match begin!”

**(Track Set: mortal stampede – dai)**

“Hit the floor running, Blaziken!” Battler shouted. “ **The chain lock is set! The windows are barred! There are two bodies, one on each bed, covered in blood!** ” Blaziken was engulfed in a red light, and Leon proclaimed that Blaziken's stats had just shot through the roof.

“A fine opening move, Battler!” Beatrice shouted back. “Cresselia, take the field! **The chain is set, and the windows of the guestroom are locked! The corpse was found in the adjacent bathroom!** ”

The same crimson light enveloped Cresselia, and the two Pokemon clashed.

“Repeat it!” Battler yelled. “There are no secret passages, and the victim is truly dead!”

“ **Knox's third: It is forbidden for hidden passages to exist!** ” Beatrice responded. “And gladly! **The body found in the bathroom is dead! The cause of death was a knife to the back!** Your turn, Baaattler! Prove the deaths of your victims, or face Cresselia's Psybeam!”

Cresselia shot off the stated attack. Generally, it was a bad idea for Blaziken, a part fighting type Pokemon, to get hit by a psychic type move. However, Battler smirk. “Acknowledged! **Both victims had stakes driven through both their backs, and the beds they laid on!** ” Blaziken threw a punch at the oncoming attack, and dispersed it instantly. “Now, Fire Punch 'em! I present my theory: The murder was caused by a retractable arm from outside the room, through the gap in the door!” Blaziken's fist became engulfed in a crimson flame, surrounded by a strange blue light.

“Impossible!” Beatrice replied as Cresselia dodged the attack nimbly. “There would have been two doors to go through! **Both doors were not open at the same time!** ” This time, Cresselia unleashed a Moonblast, which it too was accented by a blue light. “Now, my theory! You prepared a Mystery Trap X on the roof above the beds! That way, when they laid down, the stake would drive through the victims! How's that for a crazy theory, BAAATTLER?!!!”

The attack... hit Blaziken head on. Yet, it still stood strong. “Reversal,” Battler muttered. “ **There were no traps set on the roof of the closed room!** ” Reversal was a move that grew in power the more damage the user took. While fighting types didn't do the average amount of damage to psychic types, the amount of damage Blaziken took wasn't anything to scoff at, and considering Blaziken's had high offensive stats in general, 'not very effective' wasn't something to worry about. “It's useless, Beato! It's all useless! I've already figured your closed room out!”

**(Track Change: Tomorrow – dai)**

“It's actually an obvious answer! Were you even trying?” Battler shouted. “The killer came in through the bathroom window! You said it yourself; the victim was in the 'adjacent bathroom'! That means the murder didn't happen in the closed room! Take it, my Blue Truth, BEATRICE!!!”

The counter struck, and Cresselia was thrown into the far wall. It tried to get back upright, but the power of the Reversal infused with the Blue Truth kept it down for the count.

“What an amazing display!” Leon shouted. “The victor of this match... is Champion Battler!”

**(Track End)**

Cheers erupted from the crowd. Even Rika, one of the few out there with little interest in such events, found herself swept up in the mood.

Beatrice let out an earnest cackle. “Netting the victory before I have a chance to make my rebuttal, huh?” she mused. “Impressive. Most impressive. You've become a splendid Game Master, Battler.”

“Well, if I held back a second longer, you'd have gotten one up on us,” Battler responded, patting Blaziken on the shoulder. “After all, you've figured out my room now, haven't you?”

“Of course,” Beatrice replied. “The stakes went through both the bed and the back, but that doesn't mean they went in that order, just that they came out both sides. The beds were literally beds of needles, weren't they?”

Battler chuckled lightly. “Yeah. You got it.”

As the cheers erupted once more, Battler and Beatrice bowed to the audience. Before they turned to leave the arena, their eyes met with two particular members of the crowd; Bede and Rika.

The two magicians gave them knowing winks, a message they received as 'your turn is next, don't miss it'.

* * *

  
  


Excitement buzzed through the air like electricity. After that intense, energetic match of strength and wits, it was now time for the main event.

The first match; Victor vs Hanyu. And oh, what a match it will be. In more ways than one.

Both trainers stepped out onto the field, each staring at the other with an indescribable feeling hidden behind their eyes.

“Now, with our appetiser out of the way, we can get on to the main event!” Leon announced. “Our first match is one many people have been hoping to see. In one corner, we have the crowd favourite, who's surmounted every challenge that has stood in his way! And in the other, we have the the biggest mystery this side of the 'which Pokemon came first' debates! A girl who's battle has been ahead of the curb, and has refused to reveal her name until she had completed her mission. On her behalf, I and pleased to announce that that day is today! Now, give a warm welcome to challengers Victor and Hanyu!”

Cheers erupted once more as the two came into view. Hanyu pulled her hood back, dramatically revealing her face to the audience. The audience loved it.

Then, to the surprise of everyone, save for Hanyu, two more took to the stage, and stood beside her; Bede and Rika.

“Eh? What's going on?” Leon asked.

“Apologies, Leon-san,” Hanyu responded, “but right now, we need to bring something to light.”

“Brought to light?” Victor asked. “What are you talking about?”

“I'm sure you'll understand soon enough, Victor,” Rika said.

Bede motioned for Leon to pass him the microphone, to which he did. “For those of you who might not recall, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Bede, a Gym Challenger who had to resign after an unfortunate incident almost a week ago. I hope everyone here remembers that?” There was a collective murmur of acknowledgement. “I see. I'm glad, in a way. Back on topic though, that incident was, according to the news, a 'tragic accident' that put the careers of two trainers on hold. However, recent evidence has come to light, thanks in part to detective and aspiring gym leader Avery, that states otherwise.”

At this point, Victor looked to be sweating something fierce. “Are... are you guys suggesting what I think you are?” he asked.

“He is, Victor,” Rika answered in her darker voice. “Much of the evidence, both corporeal and otherwise, point in one direction.”

“Today, with challenger Hanyu's permission, we're going to lay out the charges,” Bede continued. “Victor, you you truly believe your innocent, or that our claims are wrong, then stand and face us.” Then, Bede pointed at Victor dramatically. “Because right here and now, I'm holding you accountable for the attempted murder of myself, Keiichi Maebara, and Satoko Houjou!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we are. The big Umineko inspired fight.  
> I've gotta be honest, writing that battle between Beatrice and Battler was possibly the most fun I've had writing a battle in a long while. Mixing both the physicality of a Pokemon fight with the intellectual nature of a closed room duel was just enticing. Also, that reunion made me feel fuzzy just writing it.  
> In other news, episode 14 of Higurashi Gou still, to this day, has me rather messed up.  
> Now, let's press on.


	11. Their Battle

A strange tension filled the air at Bede's accusation. This wasn't surprising, given the fact that the young one had literally just claimed someone attempted to murder him and two others.

“Whoa. That's... that's a bit much to take in,” Leon said from off to the side. “Are... are you guys sure about this?”

“Deathly so, champion,” Bede answered. “Plus, after the display earlier, it's only right that we sort it out like they did.”

“A battle of mystery,” Rika stated. “Victor, if you are truly innocent, then I ask you to fight with all your might against our claims.”

“I... I don't understand,” Victor said hesitantly. “What... what's going on?”

“This is a trial, Victor,” Bede said. “An inquisition, if you will. Either you're innocent, or you thought you could get away with what you did. One way or another, we'll be bringing the truth to light today!”

Then, a slow clapping was heard. “<Good>,” a girl with a haughty attitude said. From the stadium entrance that Victor came from, a girl who looked... scarily akin to Rika walked out. That is, if Rika wore her hair in twin-tails, wore frilly dresses, and generally looked like a bit of a bitch. “This is the sort of motivation those who seek the truth should have.”

Rika knew this girl. As the memories of Bernkastel flowed into her temporarily, she knew who this was instantly. “Erika Furudo,” she spat. “Why am I not surprised at this point?”

The girl known as Erika looked at Rika with a glint in her eyes that would have looked adorable only on small, innocent children, and puppies. On this girl, though, it looked... menacing. “Ahh, my Master!” she exclaimed. “Worry not, my Master! I, the Witch of Truth, shall see you returned to your former glory!”

Bede cast a slightly worried look at Rika. “Please, tell me that one's not one of your friends.”

“Bede-san, if you were to set this girl on fire right here and now, all I'd do is go to the store to get marshmallows and fireworks in response,” Rika answered bitterly. “Still, for a witch to be our big opponent...”

Then, Rika noticed the absence of light in Victor's eyes. “So, she's made him her Piece,” Rika noted. “That might explain a few things, but not enough for this battle.”

“Then, what should we do?” Bede asked.

“We have to deny her existence,” Hanyu answered. “This is now a proper Witch's Game. Mystery vs Fantasy, if you will. We have to prove the crime was committed by a human, and they'll have to prove that the crime could only have been done by a witch.”

“But, we have all this evidence, don't we?”

“Yes, but we can't use it as a Red Truth,” Rika stated. “We can only manifest it as the Blue Truth, which she can refute with the Red. That being said, though...” Rika allowed herself a smirk. “We are dealing with Erika, a very twisted person with a fascination on the whodunit part of mysteries.”

“So, what you're saying is,” Bede surmised, “we can beat her through the use of the how and whydunits?”

“Are you quite done?” Erika called out. “In case you haven't realised, you two brats are interrupting my precious time with my Master.”

Like a puppet on a string, Victor threw out his first Pokemon, a Roserade.

“Looks like it's game on, then,” Rika muttered. “Hanyu! I trust your team can take point?”

“Of course!” Hanyu shouted back. “Protect us, Aerodactyl!”

From Hanyu's pokeball came the rock-flying type Pokemon of ancient times, Aerodactyl, which let out a cry of defiance against its foe.

* * *

  
  


“Very well! Let us see if you children can accept my truth!” Erika Furudo shouted. “I hereby claim that I, Erika Furudo, am the culprit! I used magic to get behind that wall in Stow-on-Side, used magic to destroy it, and made my escape with magic! What do you think, everyone?”

Technically, what she had said wasn't an unreasonable story for this world. That being said, however, 'simply because magic' wasn't going to fly as an excuse, no matter the circumstances.

Erika's 'story' enveloped Roserade with a purple light, as it let off a Magical Leaf attack.

This was countered by Aerodactyl using Protect. “Your story's not going to cut it!” Bede shouted back. “Police and detective reports have already shown the attack came from the outside!”

The purple light around Roserade shattered like glass. The drop in its speed was noticeable, which Hanyu's Aerodactyl took advantage of by letting loose a Flamethrower attack.

Roserade collapsed to the ground. The Pokemon was returned to its ball with barely any fanfare. Next came Cinderace, Victor's starter Pokemon.

“... <Good>,” Erika stated. “At least you're putting up a fight right off the bat. I was worried you'd come at us with baseless evidence. Now, let us hear your theory!”

“Fine then,” Bede said. “Allow me to present our Blue Truth! Knowing that the investigation concluded that the damage was caused by a Shadow Ball from a Dusknoir, we posit that Victor, whom owns one such Pokemon, is the culprit behind the incident at Stow-on-Side!”

Blue light enveloped Aerodactyl, and the Fossil Pokemon charged its opponent with a Giga Impact.

Then, Erika smirked. “ **Many trainers can own a Dusknoir!** ”

A simple Red Truth, yet one that was powerful enough to allow Cinderace to hold Aerodactyl at bay.

“Did you really think a theory like that would be enough?” Erika Furudo said mockingly. “Any single one of these ignorant spectators could own the Dusknoir that did the deed! In fact, I'll posit that I was the one who owned the Dusknoir! Through the simple fact that anyone can own a Pokemon, this level of reasoning is possible for Erika Furudo!”

Cinderace began to push back against Aerodactyl, leaving Rika, Bede, and Hanyu worried.

“Is this... the power of a witch?” Hanyu asked. “Being able to push back with a single Red... can we actually win this?”

“Don't stop thinking,” Bede shouted. “Once we stop, that's the end of it. We just...”

“ **Knox's First:** ” a new voice that hadn't spoken at all this entire match said, “ **It is forbidden for the culprit to be anyone not mentioned in the early part of the story.** ”

**(Track Set: Dread of the Grave)**

The light around Cinderace shattered like glass, and the Pokemon was thrown against the far wall.

All eyes, however, was on the one who invoked Knox's Decalogue. All eyes... were on Victor, whom had dug his nails into the side of his neck.

“Hah... hah... looks like... I'm still good for something, huh?” he said weakly.

“What are you doing?” Erika asked in disbelief. “Here I am, trying to protect you, and you...”

“Protect? Please yourself, woman,” Victor spat, though control of his left hard hadn't been returned to him from her. “You've been using me for your own ends, but that ends today. Rika! Bede!” he called out, as he was forced to throw his last pokeball. The same one that contained the Dusknoir. “The ball's in your court! Prove I'm the culprit, and throw this brat out of here!”

“I won't allow it!” Erika shouted, as she forced Dusknoir to fire off (you guessed it) a Shadow Ball. “I am the culprit! The Witch of Truth! I was the one who destroyed the wall and tried to kill you!”

The trio of Rika, Bede, and Hanyu each shared a knowing look. Erika had been forced to use Blue here, so...

“ **Van Dine's First:** ” Bede shouted. “ **It is forbidden to have a crime without all clues present!** ”

“ **Van Dine's Twelfth:** ” Hanyu added. “ **There must be but one true culprit!** ”

“Wha..?” Erika staggered back. Dusknoir's Shadow Ball had struck true, but Aerodactyl had not fainted. Instead, it was setting up to use the move Assurance. “You... You can't out-think me! I'm... I'm the detective, Erika Furudo!”

Then, Rika smirked triumphantly, as she raised her hand. “And with that, you dug your own grave,” she said, snapping her fingers in a akin to 'flipping the chess board. “ **Van Dine's Ninth: It is forbidden to have more than one detective!** It was already established that Avery is the detective!”

“Now, our final Blue Truth!” Hanyu took the reigns. “Whodunit was Victor the Gym Challenger! After observing the spat between challengers Bede and Hop while leaving Motostoke, and the emotional state that Hop was left in afterwards, Victor hatched a plan to eliminate Bede though an 'unfortunate accident'. Upon arriving in Stow-on-Side, Victor saw his chance when he spotted Bede at the mural, and made Dusknoir use a slow moving Shadow Ball to cause that wall to collapse while he went elsewhere to create an alibi! Now finish it, Akasakadactyl!”

The Aerodactyl, named Akasakadactyl (would that name like a few more a's in it?), struck Dusknoir hard. Assurance was an attack whose strength doubled after the user had already taken damage. Added on to the fact that it was a dark type move against a ghost type, and an Aerodactyl's second best stat was physical attack, it was no surprise that Dusknoir was sent flying into Victor, knocking both trainer and Pokemon out.

Erika was left dumbfounded, staring at the sight before her.

“What? How... how could I lose?” Erika muttered. “And... so easily, too?”

“Leave trying to make a good lie to the professionals,” Rika stated. “Now, I believe you're no longer wanted on stage?”

When Erika looked down at her hands, she noticed she had become somewhat transparent. “The world is now denying your place in it,” Hanyu stated. “Since you failed to convince anyone that you were the culprit, you therefore _don't exist_ in this world.”

“No... No! I can't just... vanish like this!” Erika shouted in despair. “My Master! Please, have mercy!”

Rika looked at the Witch of Truth, and, in one final kick to the teeth, gave a naively innocent smile. “I'm sorry,” she said sweetly, “but **Rika Furude has never met you before today**.”

It was a simple Red Truth that shot forth, the size of a small pebble, yet when it struck Erika, she dispersed into tiny dots of light.

“Is... is it over?” Bede asked. “Did we... just win?”

**(Track End)**

“We did, Bede-san,” Rika said. “And honestly, it could have gone worse.”

Bede handed the microphone back to Leon. “I... were do we even go from here?” the champion asked. “I mean... Did Victor do the thing back then? Who was that girl? What is even going on now?”

“Leon-san,” Rika said, placing a hand on his back (she'd have placed it on his shoulder, but the man was very tall). “Try not to think about that stuff too much; you'll just get a headache.”

“Well, I suppose we should get Victor out of the elements, then,” Bede said, as he tried to move Dusknoir off of Victor. Emphasis on 'tried'.

Fun fact, did you know that Dusknoirs weigh up to 106 kilograms?

* * *

  
  


_The truth is, I was always somewhat enamoured by the girl known as Rika Furude._

_The first time I met her, I was caught off guard by two things: her unusual hair and eyes, and the fact that she didn't know what Pokemon where. When she took that Pichu under her wing after I shared my opinion and belief as to why it was in that Route, I felt... something new. I felt almost... heroic. Like I had become this girls saviour._

_When we went our separate ways, I started to feel like I was being followed by something. Considering Hop and I were still buzzed off of the fact that Leon had just endorsed us, I figured it was nothing at the time._

_Perhaps I should have thought otherwise. I was never the biggest fan of ghost stories, and ghost types by association, so I should have found it odd that I convinced myself to catch a Duskull._

_After the opening ceremony, when I was travelling with Hop, Sonia, and a somewhat irritated Rika, everything seemed the same as ever. Hell, at the time, I didn't even think much of when she got abducted by that swarm of Woobats._

_After the Turffield gym, though, things had started to change. A small voice in the back of my head, judging me for not going back to help Rika._

_And not long after that, my neck began to itch. The more I scratched it, the worse it felt, yet at the same time, the quieter the voice was._

_After Motostoke, though, it got worse. Footsteps where they shouldn't be. The feeling of something breathing down my neck. That voice telling me to 'be the only one who can comfort her'._

_When I first saw that blonde girl with Bede in the second mines, my first thought was 'oh, that must be one of Rika's friends'.And after the beating Hop had gotten from Bede outside of Motostoke, that voice and I started hatching a plan._

_Revenge for Hop, and appeasement for that voice that I had started to accept as my subconscious._

_Then, we made it to Stow-on-Side, and the rest is as you put it. I saw an opportunity to effectively kill two birds with one stone, and in my weakness, I took it._

_That, is my confession._

* * *

  
  


Everyone stared as Victor hung his head in shame, all the while Rena wrapped bandages around the boys neck to protect his scratches.

“So that's the story, then,” Rika muttered. “No deranged delusions. Just a poor child being tricked into making a bad choice.”

“You guys must hate me for it,” Victor muttered. “After all, I...”

“'Almost killed us', is that it?” Keiichi finished. “Well, hate to break it to ya, but if we worked like that, then the only people among us that anyone would remotely like is Mion and Hanyu-chan.”

Victor looked at the brown haired boy in confusion.

“Let's put it this way, Victor-san,” Satoko said. “Those of us from Hinamizawa -save for Nii-nii, maybe- has memories from various alternate versions of the same month from a year ago. You following me so far?” Victor nodded hesitantly. “Good. Now, in these 'alternate months', most of us have committed heinous crimes. We're talking full on murder and torture, here.”

“Wait, it was that bad?!” Satoshi shouted. “You guys only told me they were 'dark times'!”

“Well, we weren't wrong, were we?” Keiichi asked. “Besides, it's not like it killed us.”

Satoshi stammered a bit in response. “It did! Satoko literally just said you guys murdered each other! That is the actual definition of being killed!”

Victor looked at the two in bewilderment. “Is... is this normal?”

“Complaining about the technicalities of dying?” Hop asked. “Nah, that one's new. Being casual about things that we'd view as absolutely insane, however, is basically their norm.”

Victor looked at them, processing this information. For a while, he'd been thinking he was the only person who could be considered even remotely insane, then along came these eight, who basically said 'hold our beer', cracked their knuckles, and flexed that, compared to them, Victor's minor bout of mental instability was nothing in comparison.

“So, what happens now?” Shion asked. “We understand the motive now, but a crime is still a crime, right?”

“I'm aware of that,” Victor answered. “Don't worry, I fully intend to turn myself over to the authorities. There's just... one thing about that.”

Rika looked at him nervously. “What... might that be, sir?”

“I... think Dusknoir crashing into me broke my legs,” he said with a weak smile.

* * *

  
  


Rika sat down and let out a sigh. Today had, once again, been a long day.

“That... was honestly a close one,” she muttered. “Had Erika invoked Van Dine's Seventh, we might have been in serious trouble.”

Van Dine's Seventh: It is forbidden to have a crime without a corpse. Considering there was no dead bodies at the crime scene in Stow-on-Side, Erika Furudo could have technically used that to claim there was no mystery, thus, Rika and Bede would have had no case.

“And yet, because of the sort of girl Erika is, she overlooked that fact,” someone familiar said. It was a voice Rika wasn't surprised to hear, but one she did not welcome regardless.

“So, you've finally shown up, then?” Rika spoke. “I honestly expected you yesterday, Lambdadelta.”

In a flash of light, the Witch of Certainty appeared before her. “What, and ruin your perfect reunion?” she asked. “Hate to break it to ya, but unlike your other half, I have a soft spot for that touchy-feely stuff.”

“And unlike Frederika Bernkastel, you're also a graceful loser,” Rika mused. “The 'me' that is Rika Furude will at least give you that much.”

“Well, thank you very much,” Lambda said with a bow. “I will say, unlike Bern, you at least know how to respect the people you hate.”

“Doesn't mean I don't hate losing.” Rika locked eyes with Lambda. “So, what do you want?”

“Ahh... that cold shoulder,” Lambda... moaned. “If you were any more like Bern, I'd just eat you right up.”

“Well, ain't I glad I'm not,” Rika muttered sarcastically.

Lambdadelta quickly cleared her throat. “Right, back on topic. I'm here because, in a way, I lost a bet with Battler,” she said. “So, because of that...”

Then, she started clapping. On its own, it didn't sound like much, but that was mostly to do with the fact that it was a clap that worked best complemented by cheers.

“Are... are you applauding me?” Rika asked incredulously.

“Battler expected a standing ovation if his little pre-show impressed me, and gave you kids the right idea. So, that's what I'm giving you,” she explained. “A personal, private reward, just... for... you.”

There were two emotions welling in Rika's heart at that point. One was the warm, fuzzy kind that recognised honest complements when it heard them. The other was an almost endearing level of exasperation. “Glad to see your still thinking with your libido,” Rika said. “Would you mind if I asked you something, before you go on your way?”

“You want the full list of events leading up to your arrival in Galar, right?” Lambda surmised. “Alright, then. I can give you that, as a reward for your well earned victory.” Lambdadelta quickly cleared her throat. “Then, from start to finish. December 21st, 1983. On that day, I overheard Erika Furudo planning to throw you, one of the Rika Furude's who conquered my old game, into despair by brutally killing Hanyu Furude on December 31st.”

“Because every despairing version of me is more power to Bernkastel,” Rika surmised. “Yes, I'm familiar with that fact.”

“Well, like I said, I have standards,” Lambda continued. “I may be a witch, but once I've accepted a defeat, I'm sure to reward the victor. Since I had heard Erika planning to ruin my good will, I stepped in, and sent your friend here for safe keeping.”

“And that was on Christmas day,” Rika stated.

“Bingo! The original plan was to keep her here until Erika either lost interest or thought she won, then quietly sneak her back into your world. Of course, that part didn't work out as well as I'd hoped it would. Maybe you should invest in a restraining order on her.”

“So, she kept watching our world to see me fall to ruin, then?” Rika mused. “But, how did she plan to do it?”

“Oh, it would have been straight up murder,” Lambda said casually. “Think back to the most brutal time _you_ died, and times it by, like, a bazillion. That was her plan.”

“So, by making her disappearance ambiguous, you foiled Erika's plans, is that it?”

“Almost, sweetie. That didn't change the fact that Erika was keeping a close eye on you. After all, Hinamizawa is a 'closed game'; anyone who looks at it can know where all the pieces are. So, with some discussion with Beato and Battler, we took a calculated risk and brought you seven over here, where we put Hanyu.”

“That seems needlessly risky, though,” Rika said. “Wouldn't Erika be able to locate Hanyu then?”

Lambda shook one finger side to side. “Now now, this board isn't like Hinamizawa, or even their Cat-box. No, this world only exists because Beato and Battler want it. It is, in effect, a game board where only those two can see everything. Even a guest like myself can only see as much as those two want me to see, so of course an invader like Erika wouldn't be able to find a needle in a needle-stack.”

“And, because there was no opening for you to bring Hanyu back to Hinamizawa, you decided to bring the rest of us to her?”

“You catch on quickly,” Lambda stated. “Of course, there was the downside of Erika keeping a close eye on you, hence why she was able to find her way here. But, since Beato was the one to bring you lot here, she didn't know until an hour ago that Hanyu was here as well.”

“So, Erika didn't know you were in cahoots with Beatrice and Battler,” Rika surmised. “I guess I really should be thankful to you guys.”

Lambdadelta nodded smugly. “That's it, that's it. Lay it on thick,” she said eagerly.

Rika levelled a disapproving glare at the Witch of Certainty. “Well, I'd say that just about covers everything I needed to know,” she said. “You can be on your way now.”

“Eh?! You're ending our conversation just like that?!” Lambda complained. “Come on, just a little longer! Then... how about a date?! Just one!”

Rika barely managed to suppress a smirk. This was, after all, the girl that had effectively ruined her life, acting like a love-sick child desperately trying to impress her crush. “As much as I 'hate' to break it to you,” Rika said sarcastically, “I'm trying to live my life as a human these days. The longer I hang around you, the less likely I am to be able to hold on to that life.”

Lambda tried to counter, yet lowered her hand in defeat. “Alright. I'll leave you to it, then,” she conceded. “Although, just one last thing: You probably won't be able to return to your old world without the risk of Erika getting all up in your business.”

There was a small pang of sorrow in Rika's heart. “I don't mind,” she said. “While I might miss Hinamizawa from time to time, I'm actually more glad that I might never return to it.”

“Do away with the past, huh? I get it,” Lambda stated. “Well, I'll get our of your hair now. You're probably tired of looking at me by now, anyway.”

“Only because you look too much like my best friend for my liking,” Rika responded, as the two stood back to back, preparing to walk off. “I suppose this is where we part ways, for the first and possibly last time.”

“I guess so,” Lambda responded, giving a two-fingered salute. “I'll be hanging around for the remainder of this tournament, but after that, I'll leave you to your own devices.”

As the two walked away, they both said one last thing to each other.

“See you again, When Something Else Cries.”

* * *

  
  


As Rika rounded the next corner, she spotted Satoko looking rather sheepish.

“Were you listening in on that?” Rika asked, smiling softly.

“O... of course not!” Satoko denied. “It would be... entirely unladylike to eavesdrop like that!” She tried to laugh it off, but it came out wooden. “Guess I can't lie my way out of this one, huh?”

Rika patted Satoko on the head. “It's alright. I'm not angry at you,” she said.

Satoko looked down the now empty hall. “So, that was Lambdadelta, then?” she asked. “She looked...”

“So much like you, right?” Rika finished. “Honestly, even I'm not sure why that is. It's something only she would know by now.”

Satoko had a look of concern on her face. “You... really seemed to get along well with her.”

Rika recognised a certain tone in her voice; jealousy. Satoko was worried Rika might see Lambdadelta as a replacement for her.

Rika gave a warm smile, and pat her friend on the head. “Don't worry, Satoko,” she said warmly. “Lambdadelta-san is more 'a friend of a friend', with liberal use of the word 'friend'. At the end of the day, nothing will replace you or the others in my heart. Nippah!”

A calm, kind, reassuring statement. Really, that was all she needed to say to dispel any doubts Satoko had.

“Geez, you really shouldn't worry your friends like that,” Satoko huffed. “Honestly. It's been roughly a year since that time, and only nine months since you opened up to us about what went on behind the scenes. You know you can tell us anything.”

Rika's smile widened, and with a speed that some might consider inhuman, she wrapped Satoko in a hug. Satoko got a bit flustered in response, but after a while (and a bit of flailing), she finally returned the hug.

Life for those from Hinamizawa was going to be different from now on. It was going to be strange, wrought with the kinds of peril they could barely even imagine, and all in all, just a grand old adventure.

Rika Furude, personally, was looking forward to it. After all, what girl her age wouldn't adore the idea of being able to find a God and kick its ass?

* * *

  
  


During this time, the rest of the girls were waiting around, either for things to calm down, or the rest of the group to reconvene. Whichever came first, really.

And of course, since this was Mion, Shion, and Rena, alone with Hanyu, anyone could understand why the general physical distance between them could be measured in negative distance.

Layman's terms; group hug.

“Um, guys?” Hanyu spoke. “This is nice and all, but...”

“Shush, Hanyu-chan,” Shion said quickly. “Rika-chan's been monopolising you ever since last night. We _need_ this pick-me-up.”

“Hauu. I've missed this,” Rena muttered eagerly. “I wanna take this moment home. I wanna!”

“Oi, Rena! Don't try to hog the Hanyu!” Mion said back. “Make sure there's enough of her to go around!”

“Auau... Please stop!” Hanyu complained. “Why does it have to be like this?!”

* * *

  
  


During this time (again), the boys were hanging around the coliseum's cafeteria, just... waiting.

“Wonder what's holding everyone up so long,” Satoshi muttered. “Rika-chan said she needed to get some fresh air, and Satoko wanted to check up on her. That all makes sense, but what's keeping the rest?”

“Knowing Rena, she's probably gone all 'take 'em home' with Hanyu,” Keiichi said. “As for Rika and Satoko, I dunno.”

“You guys are still rather lax about all this,” Bede said, voice sounding quite croaky. “It's... remarkably concerning.”

“Welcome to my life for the past few days, mate,” Hop said. “By the way, what happened to your voice? You sound like you just swallowed sandpaper.”

“Not even a few hours ago, I was yelling non-stop for all of ten minutes into a microphone,” Bede answered. “Plus, using those truths does hell on your throat, let me tell you.”

“Yet Rika and Hanyu did it so naturally,” Keiichi muttered. “Geez. Even after all this time, those two still keeps so much hidden from us.”

“I mean, from what I've heard about it, it was a pretty traumatic life,” Hop said. “So, can you blame her for not wanting to burden you guys with all that?”

“Yeah, I can understand that,” Keiichi admitted. “But it still doesn't feel right to not share that burden, ya know?”

The other three nodded in agreement.

“Ah, there you guys are!” they heard Leon call out.

Hop quickly jumped to his feet. “Lee! How'd it go?”

“Everything's in order on that end,” Leon replied. “After Victor checked out of the hospital, I walked him over to the authorities, where he's giving his testimony. Legally speaking, it's all basically sorted.”

Bede let out a sigh of relief. “Thank Arceus for that,” he said. “Here's hoping that no one else has to go through one of those truth games.”

“Yeah, those get rough at times,” the voice of Battler said. “Hell, when I first started them with Beato, I hated them with a burning passion.”

“Battler,” Leon said. “I didn't think you hung around this long.”

“Sup, Big L,” Battler responded. “Well, of course I was gonna hang around for the finals. It'd be poor taste to leave after giving a spectacle like ours.”

“True, true,” Leon admitted. “By the way, where is Beatrice, anyway? Usually you two are attached at the hip.”

“Yeah, but Beato gets a bit huffy whenever I beat her,” Battler answered. “She's a real fighter, that wife of mine.”

“Wait, hold up!” Keiichi shouted. “You and that blonde bombshell are married?!”

“This is news to me!” Hop added. “When did this happen?!”

“Alright, alright! Calm down, kids,” Battler said, backing up as the two dark haired boys approached eagerly. “Beato and I... well, we've got quite the long history, even before we became this sort of rivals.”

“Long-standing marriage to Pokemon rivals?” Hop surmised. “Man, home life must be weird for you two.”

“Well, it's not boring, if that's what you guys are wondering,” Battler said, rubbing the back of his head.

* * *

  
  


An amiable conversation between the guys. Long withheld displays of affection between the girls. A heart to heart between two friends about an unsure future.

Within this hour long period, the bonds they had forged helped to ease the stress of the journey they had faced to this point.

After that hour period, which felt both as if it lasted forever and no time at all, the Galar League Finals resumed. For the next six hours, the remaining challengers fought it out for the right to challenge Champion Leon.

Naturally, from the front row, Rika and company cheered Hanyu on with everything they had. From the VIP box high in the stands, the trio of Battler, Beatrice, and Lambdadelta sat and watched the matches unfold.

“Ya know, I'm surprised you even considered sending an invite to Bern,” Lambda said, munching on popcorn. “Then again, I'm not surprised she didn't accept it.”

“Well, it was the polite thing to do,” Battler answered.

“Though she wasn't exactly polite in her response,” Beatrice added. “She sent the letter back, attached to one of her own. All it said was 'Dear Ushiromiya family', followed by a picture of a butt.”

The two looked at the Golden Witch in bewilderment. “That's... remarkably childish,” Battler noted.

“No kidding,” Lambda added. Then, turning back to the action, she shouted. “Ah! It's time for the final battle!”

* * *

  
  


Hanyu walked towards the light at the end of the hall. Not in the metaphorical 'going to Heaven' kind of way, but quite literally. The Pokemon League was very fond of being overly dramatic with its build-ups.

She tugged slightly at the broach that kept her cloak on. This worn-out, tattered cloak had been one of those few constant things on her journey. Keeping her safe from both the elements, and the potential of being spotted by dangerous individuals like Erika Furudo. Now, with that very person having effectively been permanently removed from this world, she could hang the cloak up, and go back to living as a normal girl. Well, a normal girl with horns, at any rate.

As she approached the threshold of the stadium, she felt a slight presence behind her. Turning around, she noticed two figures in the darkness.

A tall woman dressed as a shrine priestess, with horns larger than her own, and a shorter girl that looked an awful lot like Rika. More so that Erika did.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who those two were. The shorter one was, without question, Frederika Bernkastel, Witch of Miracles, and Rika's 'other half'.

The other one, though, was someone deeply linked to Hanyu on a metaphysical level.

It was like looking into a carnival mirror. A figure who looked just like her, but different. Wrong, in a way.

Yet, neither of them made any move to talk. If anything, they were only there to watch from the distant shadows.

Hanyu nodded at the two, acknowledging their existence, before continuing on her way.

As she stepped out into the light, the two had vanished from this realm. Thus was Hanyu's close encounter with Bernkastel and her master.

* * *

  
  


“Ladies and gentlemen!” chairman Rose spoke loudly. “This is the moment you've all been waiting for! The grand finale of the Galar League!”

The crowd erupted in cheers, more so than they ever did before.

“I will say, this year, more than any, has been a rough one,” Rose continued. “There has been heartbreak, turmoil, shock and tragedy around many corners. Yet, at the same time, there has been heartfelt reunions, unexpected encounters, courage in the face of ones own demons. Many have faced tough times here in Galar, yet they -no, you- have come out stronger than ever!”

Everyone cheered at the speech, but none more-so than Rika and company. In fact, they were fairly certain Rose was looking at them when he said it all, if that playful wink was anything to go by.

“Now, let us welcome our combatants, whom represent that strength of spirit!”

From one connecting hall, Leon stepped into the spotlight, striking his famed Charizard pose.

“From this corner; you know him well. Galars undefeated champion, the master of the battlefield: Champion Leon!”

Next, the spotlight moved to the opposite end of the court. “And from this corner, we have the once mysterious trainer who showed the most promise of all, who fought her was through the challenge faster than anyone else before. Give a warm welcome to; Challenger Hanyu!”

Hanyu stepped into the spotlight, gave a brief twirl to allow her cloak to flutter in the wind, and... struck a cutesy catgirl pose. You know the kind. She even went as far as to top it off with the cutest 'Auau' she could.

This caused the audience to, simply put, go absolutely bonkers. This was particularly noticeable in Rena's reaction, which required the entire rest of the group to keep her from storming the field.

Hanyu knew she couldn't beat Leon in a battle of 'cool', so naturally, she used her best asset, one that he didn't quite have; cute.

Leon had a look of surprise on his face. “Gotta say, I didn't expect that,” he said. “At least I know I've got my work cut out for me in more than one department.”

Hanyu returned to her normal posture. “It would be a bit disappointing if this fight wasn't a challenge, right?” she asked, then smirked. “After I've come all this way, I'd hate for my win to be too easy.”

“Oh ho ho! Them's fighting words!”

Rose laughed as the sparks flew between the two. “Seems things are already heating up between them! Now, what say we finally kick things off?”

Both trainers walked to their respective ends of the field, turned, and grabbed the hem of their cape/cloak.

“Pokemon fight all set!”

Both threw their respective coverings off, and grabbed their first Pokeballs. For the first time, the world saw Hanyu in her gym challenge uniform, or more specifically, what her number was. To the people of Galar, it wouldn't have meant much, but to Rika, it was solid proof of the place she held in Hanyu's heart.

821\. Or rather, 8/21. The 21st of August, otherwise known as Rika Furude's birthday.

“Ready?”

The Pokeballs went airborne. From Leon's came the Pokemon Aegislash, and from Hanyu's, a Leafeon

“Go!”

* * *

  
  


Leafeon opened by charging sunlight into its body, while Aegislash charged forward with a Head Smash.

A nimble dodge on Leafeon's part, and it unleashed a Solar Beam, which was countered by the King's Shield.

Aegislash shifted its form, and unleashed its Sacred Sword. Leafeon, in turn, countered with its Leaf Blade.

Intense wind emanated from the clash of blades. The exchange lasted all of two seconds, yet the eyes of the spectators took it all in.

“Yeah, you're good, alright,” Leon called out. “Makes sense that you'd be able to give me a battle worthy of a champion!”

“Yet compared to the world I lived in before, this is nothing,” Hanyu said confidently. “Shall we see if the champion can match the power that overturns fate itself?”

Both Pokemon let loose a Shadow Ball. It should also be noted that neither made any effort to make distance from their foe before firing, so both spheres of darkness clashed dangerously close, and the resulting explosion threw both Pokemon into the far walls.

Only Leafeon stood back up.

“And a marvellous first point to the challenger!” Rose shouted. “How will our champion respond?”

Leon's next Pokemon was Haxorus. Hanyu tried to call Leafeon back, yet the dragon was just that bit faster, and dealt the final blow.

Hanyu didn't falter, and sent out her next Pokemon, Falinks.

The axe versus the shield. A timeless exchange of offence and defence.

Haxorus opened with Poison Jab, being the faster of the two. Falinks, however, had already prepared a Counter, and retaliated in full.

When one is attacked, two strike back. That is the philosophy of Falinks, and in a way, the same as Hinamizawa.

Haxorus, in turn, unleashed an Earthquake, hoping to take Falinks down quickly.

But it refused to fall. Instead, Falinks retaliated with Reversal, and the final blow to Leon's second Pokemon was dealt.

Hanyu was quick to call Falinks back, and prepare her next Pokemon for Leon's.

This time, it was Froslass versus Dragapult. The exchange barely lasted a fraction of the total time that had already elapsed, as Dragapult used Flamethrower and Froslass used Blizzard. Both attacks were Critical Hits. What more needed to be said?

“What an intense battle!” Rose announced. “Champion Leon is already down to half his team, and Challenger Hanyu is barely keeping herself in the lead! This battle could still be anyones game!”

“You've got this, Hanyu!” Rika called out.

“C'mon! Show him what you're made of!” Keiichi added.

“If you lose this, there'll be a serious punishment game waiting for you!” Mion shouted.

From the side, Bede looked at Hop. “Is... that a normal thing?”

“Oh, very much so, mate,” Hop answered. “Keep it up, you two!”

With both trainers reinvigorated by the cheers, Hanyu sent out her next Pokemon, a Nidoking. In return, Leon sent out Inteleon.

On paper, this was a disastrous match-up for Hanyu, however, Nidokings were remarkably versatile Pokemon.

Inteleon fired off several several Snipe Shots. Nidoking wasn't the most nimble of Pokemon, so all it could do was charge through, electricity surging around its fist.

Nidoking may not be nimble, but it was still fast. Fast enough to be able to deliver its Thunder Punch before succumbing to the attacks.

Score was now 4-3, advantage Hanyu.

Leon sent out his Mr Rime, and Hanyu her Aerodactyl.

Aerodactyl opened by using Sunny Day, a move she had replaced Assurance with, drastically weakening the power of Mr Rime's oncoming Freeze-Dry attack. It allowed Aerodactyl to survive one hit, but a second one would spell disaster.

So, having retooled Aerodactyl's moveset quite a bit between the start of the tourney and now, the Fossil Pokemon unleashed a powered-up Fire Blast, which tore through the second Freeze-Dry, resulting in another knockout.

Score, 5-3.

“What an incredible display of skill!” Rose announced. “Challenger Hanyu has got our champion backed against the wall! How will he pull through this?”

Leon let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. Being on the back foot like this was... certainly a new experience for him.

“Well, nothing more to it,” he muttered, readying his last ball. Rather than just throwing it, though, he allowed the red energy from his Dynamax band to envelop it, causing the ball to grow in size substantially. “Let's show the world our Champion Dynamax, Charizard!”

The Charizard that came out of the ball was... something more. Larger than a building, with wings of bright red flames. Its gaze travelled down, down, down, until it landed on Aerodactyl.

A torrent of flames shot from its mouth, and Aerodactyl was out for the count.

Hanyu bit her lower lip. She was down to her last two Pokemon, and one of them wasn't in good condition. Her last hope was with one single Pokemon.

She threw her Pokeball, and out came a Ninetails. She didn't Dynamax it.

The advantage Leon's Charizard had was overwhelming. Every stomp was accented by the rising and falling of huge pillars of rock. Every flap of its wings sent razor sharp air to the ground. Every breath was an inferno that turned once green grass to grey ash.

Ninetails, for all that its ability, Flash Fire, gave it immunity to the flames, did its best to avoid all attacks. After all, just one hit could be fatal.

Hanyu began to worry. Most of the moves Ninetails knew were fire type themselves.

**(Track Set: Dear You – Bonds)**

Then, she began to hear singing.

“Kono nakamatachi ga koko de deaeta koto ( _Since I could meet my friends here in Hinamizawa_ ),

Sore ga kono monogatari no kiseki ( _That is the miracle of this story_ ).”

Rika's voice carried throughout the stadium, unheard to most over the sound of battle, yet not lost to Hanyu.

Then, Rena's voice picked up.

“Itsumo hitori de kakaekondo naite ita ( _I had always hugged myself and cried_ ), Shinjiru koto sae kowagatte ita ( _I was even afraid of believing_ ).”

Hanyu knew this song. How could she not? It had been Rika's biggest driving force after the endless June.

Keiichi's voice continued on.

“Sashinoberareta sono te ni sugaru koto dekizu ( _Because I couldn't hang onto your outstreched hand_ ), Unmei no haguruma ni narenakatta ( _I couldn't become a gear of fate_ ).”

Hanyu and Ninetails felt an odd power welling inside them. As another large rock came down, Ninetails countered with a precise Fire Blast, shattering the oncoming danger.

Then Satoko continued.

“Soredemo anata wa egao do ( _Regardless, with a smile_ ), Konna watashi wo dakishimete ( _You had embraced me when I was like this_ ).”

Ninetails continued its evasion as Mion's voice picked up. “Soshite oshiete kureta ne ( _That was when you told me_ ), Unmei to tatakau yuuki ( _About destiny and the courage to fight_ ).”

“Dakara tsuyoku nareta kizuita yo ( _So I had become strong and then realised_ )...” Rena's voice trailed off briefly, before coming back joined with all the others. “Watashi wa hitori ja nai to ( _I'm not alone_ ).”

And now, she allowed her own voice to carry with theirs.

“Saa ikou minna kokoro wo hitotsu ni shite ( _Let's go, everybody; let our hearts become one_ ), Ikanaru arashi wo norikoete ( _Conquering any storm_ ).

Higurashi no koe ga shihen wo kanadete ( _The cry of the cicadas turn into psalms_ ), Ima sekai ga sono maku wo akeru ( _Now the world is opening its curtains_ ).”

* * *

  
  


From the waiting room of the police station, Victor sat and watched the match unfold.

At some point, someone had hijacked the stadium's PA system, and began streaming a song. Interestingly enough, he could hear Rika and her friends singing it.

“Mou akirametaku wa nai ( _I won't give up anymore!_ ), Mou dare wo ushinaitakunai ( _I won't lose to anyone anymore!_ ).”

The voices of Keiichi and Satoshi, he believed. It was quite the harmony, really.

* * *

  
  


“Ikutsu mo no sekai wo hisshi ni ( _Since I had kept struggling_ ), Mogakitsuzukete kita kara koso ( _Desperately in countless world_ ).” The joined voices of Rika and Hanyu, although separated by the distance of the stadium and the stands, rang out in unison.

“Well, this is quite the show,” Beatrice commented. “Do you think they planned this ahead of time?”

“Shinjiyou yo bokura wa shitte iru ( _Believe. We know_ ),” sang the Sonozaki twins.

“Out loud? Nah,” Battler replied. “In their hearts, I think they had something like this in mind.”

“Kiseki no Okoshikata wo ( _How to start a miracle_ ).” And again, all eight voices harmonised once more.

“While I may give the children of man a rough time,” a new voice said inside the VIP box, “music would have to be one of their best exports into the multiverse.”

“Ah, Featherine-san,” Battler stated casually, despite Beatrice and Lambdadelta tensing up somewhat. “Is Bern not joining us, then?”

“Saa ikou minna te wo te wo kasaneatte ( _Let's go, everybody; holding our hands together_ ), Ikanaru kukyou mo norikoete ( _Overcoming any difficulties_ ).”

“I'm sure you know the answer to that,” Featherine stated. “Worry not, though. I'm only here as a last minute cameo.”

“Subete no kakera ga kagayakidasu toki ( _When all the conditions begin to shine_ ), Atarashii sekai no maku ga agaru ( _The curtains of a brand new world will rise_ )!”

Then, Ninetails was struck with a G-Max Wildfire.

* * *

  
  


The flames wrapped the whole stadium. None knew if Hanyu or Ninetails were still standing.

“Nando umarekawatte mo deaeru ( _No matter how many times I am reborn, I can still meet_ )...”

Yet Hanyu's voice continued.

“Subarashii nakama ni ( _Wonderful friends_ )...” continued the Houjou and Sonozaki siblings, mildly lost for words.

“Tsuyoi kizuna de musubarete iru ( _We are all linked by strong bonds_ ),” Rika said, unhindered by the danger.

“Dakara mirai wo tsunagou minna de ( _Therefore, let's connect to the future, with everyone_ ),” Rena and Keiichi continued, before everyone repeated 'With everyone'. And when we say 'everyone', we don't just mean 'the Hinamizawa eight' at this point.

It means Everyone. From Hop and Bede. From Victor from far away. From the gym leaders, Rose, Battler and his co-spectators. The whole stadium, without even realising it, resonated those two words.

Then, Keiichi shouted. “Destiny can be easily changed!”

“Consult your friends when you're troubled; that's the best idea,” Satoko followed up.

“I believe,” Rena stated. “Now, extend you hands!”

“No matter what world I'm in,” Mion said, wrapping her arms around Keiichi and Rena, “it'll never be boring if I'm with my friends!”

Then, Shion leapt onto her back, arms wrapped around her sister. “Sis? Let's be twins again in the next world, okay?”

Satoshi clenched a fist over his heart. “I want to return to it. To that world where smiles exist!”

Rika smiled as she looked at her friends, then to Hanyu. “Losers are unnecessary in this world. Right, Hanyu?”

The flames, once blindingly intense, began to dance around where Hanyu and her Ninetails were. “The power of believing... cuts destiny open and starts miracles. Yes, that's what everyone had taught me!”

The fire dispersed, and standing there, unphased, was Hanyu and Ninetails.

Well, they weren't unchanged, in any case. Hanyu's outfit had, at some point, changed into a shrine maiden's attire.

“Hanatareta tsumi wo watashi ga yurusou ( _I shall forgive the freed sins_ ), Hakanai chiisana hito no ko yo ( _You fleeting, small children_ ),” she sang, voice carrying a shocking amount of weight. “Subete ga owatta ima wa tadatada ( _Now that everything is over_ )...”

As Ninetails began charging up a Hyper Beam, Hanyu's expression shifted in an indescribable manner, becoming a warm, motherly smile. “Be happy, everyone.”

“Saa ikou minna kokoro wo hitotsu ni shite ( _Let's go, everybody, let our hearts become one_ ), Waraiaeru ni wa kono ude ni ( _The time we can all laugh together is in our arms_ )!” Everyone sang together once more.

Charizard let off another G-Max Wildfire to counter the Hyper Beam.

Professionally speaking, it didn't work because of Ninetail's ability Flash Fire, which, after being hit by one fire-type move, causing all future fire-type moves to be ineffective. Emotionally, though, Leon couldn't help but see the hearts of so many people protecting them.

It brought a smile and a tear to his eyes.

“Higurashi no koe ga shihen wo kanadete ( _The cry of the cicadas turn into psalms_ ), Ima sekai ga arata ni hajimaru ( _Now the world is beginning anew_ )!”

The Hyper Beam struck Charizard dead on, and it toppled backwards, shrinking in size.

The battle was now over.

Hanyu let out a sigh of relief, as the crowd cheered on. Then, among those cheers, she heard Rika call her name.

She turned, to see the girl in question falling towards her, arms outstretched.

Naturally, she caught her.

* * *

  
  


From the darkness unseen to all, Bernkastel watched the two embrace each other in victory. She would not admit to feeling a pang of jealousy to that display. Not a bit.

Instead, she turned to leave, just as Leon announced Hanyu's victory.

Then, unbeknown to all, she smiled.

“Kono nakamatachi ga koko de deaeta koto ( _Since I could meet my friends here in Hinamizawa_ ),” she sang along, quietly. “Sore ga kono monogatari no kiseki ( _That is the miracle of this story_ ).”

And like sea-foam, the Witch of Miracles disappeared.

**(Track End)**

* * *

  
  


This was a story about an unlikely turn of fate. A story of a group of friends from a small, rural village, getting transported across time and space, to a world filled with unimaginable creatures.

This was not caused by the evil machinations of a witch. Although, you could claim it was caused _because_ a witch had evil machinations, and someone else decided to screw them over.

This was a tale of reunions. Of coming to understand what they want out of their new situation.

At the end, what they wanted wasn't a way back to Hinamizawa. Sure, they'd miss some people there, but they've got all they needed here.

They had each other. For them, that was all that mattered.

In Wedgehurst, a small plaque was erected outside a house that had been commissioned by the new champion. This plaque named this house 'Golden Land Hinamizawa', and was their new abode.

In the dead of night, a lone figure passed by the house, looking in through the window at the people enjoying their new life.

Smiling, they placed something down upon the plaque; a small, unassuming book.

And so, the woman continued, accompanied by the songs of the Kricketune.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was tossing up between splitting this between one or two chapters, but in the end, I don't think I could have gotten enough content for a second one.  
> So, here we are, at the end.  
> You know, I never quite know what to say for these final notes of a fic. Endings are really quite bittersweet, when you come down to it.  
> Well, I won't say 'goodbye', because writing is in my blood. Instead, I guess I'll say...  
> See you again, When Something Else Cries.  
> … Lambdadelta really knew what to say in a situation like this, huh?

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, Higurashi. Quite possibly the only piece of remotely horror base... anything I can stomach.  
> Not because I think it's the pinnacle of the genre, no; I'm actually just not that good with horror. Things like suspense and dread just don't sit well with me, especially in my youth.  
> Really makes me wonder how I got through it the first time.  
> Still, since there's a new series for Higurashi going on as I write this, here's hoping more people get into it, and mayhaps they end up writing some pieces for it?  
> Lord knows I've got some things on the cutting room floor.


End file.
